Silent Scream
by Seijakukage
Summary: Legato Bluesummers regarded all humans the same; vile and crude beings, until one manages to stand out from the rest. But this one has a secret that threatens to tear his last shreds of sanity, forever plunging him into hatred.
1. Chapter One

**A/N:** Alrighty then. I rather disliked my previous Legato fic, so up this one goes. So far it seems better than the original, but my opinions tend to be twisted and warped. So help me out and review. Last time I only got one, and that definitely did not help me any. This one will still delve into Legato's past, but he will be at an older age (around 15 or so, I haven't really decided yet) and it will not be told from his narration. And this is rated PG-13 for later chapters. Anyway, I will stop my inane babble after stating the copyrights or whatever. As you know, I do not own Trigun or any of its characters; they are copyright of Yasuhiro Nightow. Sadly, I do not own this computer either, among many other things..Yes well anyway.... on with the fic.

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**Silent Scream**

**Chapter One**

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"Get up!" A harsh voice sounded from the doorframe, "Get up and get your worthless ass to school, brat!"  
  
The boy groggily arouse from his peaceful slumber, blinking sleepily as he watched his father's figure disappear from the entryway to his room. He hopped out of bed, shuffling over to a pile of clothes that were heaped in the far corner of his room. After picking through it, he found a relatively clean shirt, pants, and undergarments, and when he had clad himself in them, he proceeded to the cracked mirror that hung on his barren wall.  
  
Licking his thumb, the boy wiped off the dried blood on his lower lip, one of the souvenirs he had received the night before. He ran his thin fingers through his tousled blue hair, hoping to arrange it into some form of order, wincing briefly when his palm struck a tender area near his left eye. He parted the hair that covered his eye, noticing a bluish purple swelling was located there. He prodded it gingerly before replacing his lengthened bangs over his eye, completely concealing it.  
  
After readying himself, he walked out of his room and across the hallway, gently opening a slightly ajar door. In the darkened room, his keen golden gaze could make out the form of a small figure lying on the cot on the far side of the room. He walked over to the small window, pulling apart the ragged curtains, allowing a bright stream of sunshine to settle upon the bed. Something moved amidst the sea of blankets, and the boy reached down to remove the tattered cloths, revealing the face of a young girl.  
  
"Allegro," he commanded softly, "wake up, it is almost time to leave."  
  
A pair of honey brown eyes opened immediately at the sound of his voice, and as soon as the six year old realized she was peering into the lean face of her older brother, she jolted upright, clutching his arm tightly.  
  
"Legato! Allegro is so sorry! She made Daddy punish brother for giving her more food! Allegro's sorry!" she cried into the lower part of his arm.  
  
Legato's hard gaze softened at the sound of his sister's cries. _'She does this every time,'_ he thought grimly.  
  
"It is okay Allegro, I am not badly injured. And besides, you were hungry. I am not going to let you starve." He reassured her, running a lithe hand through her soft, golden brown locks.  
  
She stared up at him, with the honeyed gaze that painfully reminded him of their mother.  
  
"Thank you…but…" she looked away before adding guiltily, "Allegro is still hungry."  
  
Legato grimaced briefly before delving into his pocket to pull out a stale piece of bread he had stored there for later consumption. His aching stomach yearned for nourishment, and he could not remember the last time he had eaten a sufficient amount of food to calm his insatiable hunger. Despite his own desire, Legato handed the bread over to his sister, who promptly stuffed it into her mouth without hesitation.  
  
He watched as Allegro finished off the piece of bread and then proceeded to lick her fingers, hoping to find the lingering taste on her plump fingertips. As soon as she had stopped, Legato had the feeling that she was going to plead for more, so he quickly spoke, cutting her off before she had the chance to speak.  
  
"You need to get dressed. It is almost time for school." He said as he stood up.  
  
"Okay!" she chirped cheerfully.  
  
"I will meet you in the hallway when you have finished." Legato moved towards the door, exiting and shutting it as Allegro began to search for a pair of clothes.  
  
Once outside his sister's room, his stomach growled fiercely and he immediately regretting ceding his bread. He reached around in both pockets, hoping to find a scrap of food he had managed to pilfer earlier. After discovering nothing, he leaned against the wall, closing his eyes, trying to ignore the rumbling protests of his stomach.  
  
_'She needs it more than you do;'_ he berated himself mentally, _'besides, if I actually attend school, I can probably manage to obtain something at lunch,'_ he reasoned, grinning slightly.  
  
He had what one would call an 'infamous' reputation. He was the freakish loner, stoic and antisocial. No one would try to talk to him, nor would he attempt to initiate conversation. But that was how he prefered things. People always talked about him when they thought he wasn't listening, but he didn't care. As long as no one bothered him to a great extent, he was content to leave everyone else to their own devices. Though, if the oppertunity presented itself, he would use his natural ability to intimidate to his advantage, which often resulted in his being able to take possession of a weaker individuals food, or the removal of a group of individuals that occupied an area he wished to remain alone in.

Sensing that his sister was finished, Legato removed himself from the wall and opened the door to her room. Allegro stood in the doorway, still reaching for the doorknob that her brother had already opened.  
  
"How did Legato know that Allegro was all done?" she asked, perplexed.  
  
"I just did," he said simply and grabbed her hand to lead her out of the house. "Come on, let's go."  
  
Allegro followed Legato down the narrow hallway, visibly flinching as they passed by the living room, where their father lay, passed out on the couch with beer bottle in hand. Her brother snorted in disgust and led her through the screen door, out of the house and away from the man whom he hated with an undying passion.

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So, what do you think? It's short, but it's the first chapter… so…Anyway, please tell me your opinions in review format. The more reviews, the faster updates are. And it doesn't take that much of an effort to send me a few comments. Just tell me what you liked, disliked, and/or what I can improve on. Also, suggests are needed for future chapters, because I am already torn with what I want to do. Though I mentioned an age in the author's note, I still don't know how old Legato should be, so help me out there as well. I'll be shutting up now, and I look forward to your comments. Ja! 


	2. Chapter Two

**A/N:** Hoi, it is I again. I'm so happy! I got reviews! And because I got reviews, I was inspired to post the next chapter! (also because I was compulsively listening to Legato's theme Song ) YAY! See what taking the time to reply does? Thanks to my reviewers will be at the end of the chapter.  
  
Again, my thanks to those who reviewed, and those who didn't, it doesn't mean you're out of the woods yet though. I still need your opinions and comments to help me continue my writing. This is my problem chapter; I had a lot of arguments with myself over what should occur. We'll see how it turns out.

Oh, and I went back and took out the Japanese, so some of the comments to reviews may not make sense anymore 

**Disclaimer:** Okay, I do not own Trigun or its characters, everyone should know this, only the genius Yasuhiro Nightow can lay claim to that. I do however own Allegro and the other OCs in this chapter and others to come, AND YOU CAN'T TAKE THEM AWAY FROM ME! If you try, I will lock you in a fiery chasm and laugh as your skin slowly melts away and your bones begin to pop and are reduced to ash. Hope that didn't scare anyone away. Yes, well, on with the fic.

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**Silent Scream**  
**Chapter Two**

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Allegro trotted behind her brother, trying to keep up with his pace at they strode through the streets to the school district. As they approached the large, concrete buildings, Allegro ran faster to catch up to her brother in hiding behind his legs, attempting to avoid the derogatory stares they received from other students.  
  
She was so busy paying attention to the other kids that when Legato stopped walking, she ran right into his thigh, falling backwards from the sudden impact. Without his assistance, she stood up, brushing herself off. She had noticed that her brother's demeanor would change drastically when they were at school, or anywhere in public, for that matter. Though he would still walk her to her classroom, as he just did, he would do so wordlessly and without emotion. She was brought out of her thoughts when he spoke in a cold monotone.  
  
"I will meet you outside by the stairs at the end of the day. If I am not there before you, just stay were you are and do not wander."  
  
Allegro nodded meekly and disappeared into her classroom. Legato turned around, stalking down the halls and out of the elementary school building. As he stood before the high school building, Legato pondered briefly whether he should just skip class and steal some food from a local merchant, or actually attend his classes and manage to obtain some at lunch. Well, he was already here; he might as well go through with it.  
  
He entered the building, striding down the hall, ignoring the glances he received from those who hurriedly cleared out of his way. Gliding up the staircase, Legato entered his own classroom and sat down wordlessly, preparing himself for the six hours in which he would have to endure inane ramblings of various teachers.  
  
------ 4 hours later --------  
  
The harsh ring of the lunch bell awakened Legato from his brief slumber. He gathered himself, sauntering to the door when his teacher called him back.  
  
"Mr. Bluesummers, may have a word?" She asked sweetly, though her hard gaze betrayed her anger.  
  
"No, you may not," Legato responded coolly, and then proceeded to exit the room, completely shutting out the woman's commands for him to return.  
  
He walked down the stairs to the center of the building to where the lunchroom was located. By the time he had arrived at the cafeteria, all of the vacant tables had been occupied. His golden eyes scanned the room for a possible target, and he found his prey and stalked towards them slowly. The table he had chosen was currently in use by four boys no younger than he was. Their laughter and conversation ceased as soon as they saw the tall, blue-haired boy looming over them, his emotionless mask making him unreadable and even more intimidating.  
  
They just stared up at him, until he parted his thin lips to speak.  
  
"Vacate yourselves. Now." Legato commanded  
  
The boys continued to stare into his golden eyes, their faces a mix of confusion and fear, before they hurriedly gathered their meals and prepared to leave.  
  
"You. Leave that here." Legato ordered the dark-brown haired boy who was packing the remainder his lunch into his brown paper bag.  
  
"But-" the boy, Ricco, began to complain before he was stopped by the intense golden glare that he received. Swallowing, Ricco left his meal on the table, and scurried away, not daring to linger any longer.  
  
When they had all cleared out, Legato took a seat, pulling over the ceded brown lunch bag. He rummaged through it, discovering that its contents contained a half eaten sandwich and a handsome slice of cheesecake. He hid his elation by shoving the remainder of the sandwich into his mouth, and then started on the cheesecake.  
  
Legato was so entranced by the delectable flavors dancing across his tongue that he did not notice the hateful stares he was receiving from the group of individuals he had previously evicted from the table.  
  
"I'm sick of it, he can't keep doing that," Ricco complained to his friends, who had now taken up residence at another table with several others, "I'm hungry too. Why can't he bring his own lunch?"  
  
The other members of the table nodded, and then launched into citing their own gripes about the blue-haired boy that was sitting a few tables away from them.  
  
"You guys are just wusses, that's all. Why don't you stand up to him?" One haughtily spoke up, interrupting the discussion.  
  
"Ha!" The only girl at the table laughed. "I don't see you doing anything about it, Aiden."  
  
Her comment was met with a snort from den and a few agreements of the other boys, before another, Thom, spoke up.  
  
"It's those eyes," he shuddered. "It's those ethereal golden eyes that get me. They're inhuman."  
  
"Like a demon's...." Ricco agreed, trailing off.  
  
The members of the table were silent for a moment while they considered the comments made. Even their parents and other townsfolk had referred to Legato as being a "demon-child". It made sense, not many had vibrant cobalt hair and ghostly golden eyes. It was…unnatural, and made excellent controversy.  
  
"I really don't understand why none of you talk to him. There's plenty of you, and only one of him. It's pathetic really." The girl said, breaking the eerie silence.  
  
"I agree with Rei, we can't sit here and do nothing all the time. He has no right to treat us like shit. I say we learn his weakness and take him down." Aiden responded, pounding his fist into his cupped hand for emphasis.  
  
"How?" Thom asked doubtfully. "No one is close enough to him to learn anything, and he'd probably get suspicious or something. He's not stupid."  
  
"No but the rest of you sure as hell are," Rei laughed.  
  
An idea popped into Aiden's mind, and a wide smile grew across his lips.  
  
"Rei...." he began, holding out the syllable of her name  
  
"What?" she eyed him suspiciously.  
  
"You're a girl. You'll probably have the easiest time talking to him. Plus, you're new here, so he should have nothing against you." He glanced at the other table members, who had just dawned on his plan, and now sported grins of their own.  
  
She frantically glanced at them all, before realization dawned on her as well.  
  
"What?! Are you insane? Why me?"  
  
"Come on, it's not like we're asking you to sleep with him or anything," Aiden responded, causing the others to snicker and a light blush to spread across the girl's face. "Just get him to trust you. Then when the time is right, he'll be ours."  
  
She crossed her arms, sulking. Giving an exasperated sigh, she finally responded, "Fine, I'll do it. It's going to take a while to get past his cold exterior though. You jerks better be worth it."  
  
"Don't worry, we can wait for our revenge." Aiden said, smiling. The rest quietly applauded her and continued discussing their plans, leaving her with her thoughts.  
  
Soon, the bell rang, signifying the end of the lunch period. Rei lingered behind, watching as the golden-eyed one cleaned up his stolen meal and strode out of the lunchroom.  
  
_'All right Legato Bluesummers_,' she thought mentally, _'prepare yourself_.'  
  
She threw her own meal into the trashcan and began walking to her next class, wondering how she was ever going to melt the icy exterior of her new target.

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Ack, sorry about that. There was more conversation than I anticipated. Oh well, now the story gets interesting. There will also be more Legato in the next chapter; I just had to build up the arising conflicts that will be occurring. Now, that you have read, REVIEW!

**Touchi-** Yeah, the plot is kinda lacking, but such is normal for the first few chapters. It will begin to develop soon, do not fret.  
  
**Sesshy the fluffy one-** Thanks, I will try to keep the Japanese, and include more of it if I can.  
**  
Tessa Marlene**- Thanks for your review. It may take a while before Knives actually comes into play; I just want to develop the reasons why Legato ends up loathing humans first. I'm sure you understand. Yes, I love Legato dearly, and I feel so bad for him. Believe me when I say I cried when he died.  
  
**CaptainMurphysMistress**- Yeah, I think that age is growing on me. Thanks for your opinion, now I know I have some sense still left within me. As I said before, I will keep the Japanese, hope I don't massacre it.. And yes, Allegro did seem fitting with Legato, being both musical terms. I think the parents will also have such names, when I explain them in later chapters. I could go for some pudding right now actually.


	3. Chapter Three

**A/N**: Greetings, I have returned. My apologies for the delay, work, school, and other tedious activities have taken up my free time. Even now I write this is the shadow of having to study for a geometry exam. Joyous. I will try to ignore the onslaught of distractions and post this ASAP, but knowing me, this won't be up for another week. Well whatever. Oh yeah, thank you to all the other kind people that reviewed, and I await more of them. Now I shall state the disclaimers and begin the story.

**Disclaimer:** As you are well aware, I do not own Trigun or its characters, I am just borrowing them for my own amusement. (Yes, that's right, Legato is my _play_ thing, mwahahahaha) Ahem, yes well here goes.

  
**Silent Scream**

**Chapter Three**

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Rei had been staring at the back of Legato's head for almost the entire duration of class. He sat a few seats in front of her, two rows to the right, so it was easy to keep her gaze upon him. Aiden, who sat one seat to her left, saw where her eyes where directed and winked at her, grinning impishly at the light blush that appeared on Rei's cheeks.  
  
She sighed and mentally cursed herself. Why had she volunteered to do this? What could she possibly gain from befriending a jerk like Legato Bluesummers?  
  
'_It's because you want him to like you',_ she thought to herself, '_if you pull this off, maybe he'll learn to like and respect you._'  
  
Rei growled inwardly. She did have a crush on Aiden, so was that why she was going through with this? So she could gain his affection? That was one reason, the other, more shallow one being that she was being paid for it. After lunch, she had brought the subject up to Aiden, and he had agreed to give her a handsome sum of money each week. She had initially felt slightly guilty, but money was money, and Aiden's family was well known for their wealth, so he had plenty of it to spare.  
  
Either way, both reasons were because of the still snickering green- eyed boy to her left. Whimpering, she began to contemplate ways of obtaining Legato's attention. Rei was jolted out of her thoughts at the shrill ringing of the school bell, signifying the end of the day. She looked up just in time to see a certain blue haired boy saunter out of the classroom; not paying any attention to the reprimands the teacher was trying to deliver. She sighed again, gathering her books and her bag, and walked out of the room.  
  
After stopping at her locker and retrieving her book bag, Rei exited the building. As she walked down the stairs, she noticed that some younger kids had circled around a minor skirmish that was taking place in front of the elementary school right across the way. Curious she walked over to them.  
  
In the middle were two boys who were harassing a younger girl, tossing her bag and forth so she could not catch it. Others watched, laughing, as she would run from one to the other, in bleak hopes of reclaiming her bag. Tears welled up in the girl's eyes as one of the boys extended his foot, giggling as she tripped and fell on the dusty earth.  
  
Enduring all she could of this, Rei approached the group, catching the bag as one of the boys attempted to toss it once again.  
  
"I suggest you back off." She said coolly, sending each of them an icy blue glare.  
  
The younger kids snarled briefly before dispersing, leaving the bag in the older student's hands, and giving up on their entertainment.  
  
Rei watched as they all left before turning and kneeling down to the small girl who lay in the dirt.  
  
"Here's your bag," she said softly. "Are you okay?"  
  
The small girl looked up, tears staining her dirtied cheeks.  
  
"Y-yes." She responded meekly, "Thank you...." She looked around nervously before adding, "Will you stay here with Allegro until Brother comes to pick her up?"  
  
Rei smiled at the girl's speech in third person. It was cute, as well as amusing.  
  
"Sure. So your name is Allegro? That's a pretty name."  
  
"Uh-huh!" the girl, Allegro, chirped, "I'm Allegro." She jumped up, and began to brush herself off, drying her tears with the sleeve of her shirt.  
  
"And I am Rei. So," she began "where is your brother?"  
  
Allegro's small face beamed at the mention of her sibling.  
  
"He always walks Allegro home. But, sometimes he's late. Like today."  
  
Rei was about to question why she was being picked on before when her honey brown eyes light up with eagerness.  
  
"Brother!" She shouted happily, running past Rei's still crouching form and to the person who had walked up behind them.  
  
Rei turned around, and was surprised see that 'brother' Allegro was embracing was none other than Legato Bluesummers. She stood abruptly, gazing into the golden eyes that stared back at her with question.  
  
Legato was distracted by any speech he could have made initially by the small girl grasping his leg. He reached down, and set a comforting hand on her back. Then he returned his gaze to the still confused Rei.  
  
"What were you doing?" He asked, a hint of authority in his even speech.  
  
Rei opened her mouth to speak, but no words were heard. Instead, she blinked rapidly; still trying to come to terms with the fact that see was standing face to face with Legato. Allegro let go of her brother's leg and stepped between them.  
  
"Allegro was being bullied by some mean boys when Rei saved her. She helped Allegro and waited with her for you." She explained.  
  
Legato stared at her blankly, until Rei finally found the courage to speak.  
  
"Um, yeah. They were tossing her bag back and forth, so I intervened. She's okay now though, just a little dirty."  
  
Legato could tell that she was not lying and she wasn't a threat so he ceased the hard stare he had been directing towards her.  
  
"Allegro, it is time to go home. Let's go." He commanded gently.  
  
He walked past Rei, mumbling a barely audible "thank you" as he passed, Allegro happily trailing after him. Suddenly she turned, and ran back to Rei, giving her a quick hug.  
  
"Thanks Rei! Bye bye!"  
  
"See ya," Rei responded, watching as Allegro ran to catch up with her brother, who had not lessened his pace.  
  
When she was sure they were out of earshot, Rei cursed herself once again.  
  
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She yelled at herself. "You just had the opportunity to talk to Legato and you completely blew it! 'Um, yeah I saved your sister', what a stupid way to get his attention! Though, I didn't even know he had a sister... Of course, that may bedue to the fact that I know next to nothing about him." She picked up her own bag and began walking in the direction of her own house.  
  
"Well wait a minute.. If I keep in contact with Allegro, I'll get on his good side. Hmm, maybe that wasn't so bad after all." Her practical side reasoned. "I'll have to find them again tomorrow."  
  
Rei continued walking, thinking of how things would play out in the future.

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**A/N:** Well, I finished that chapter. It got a little choppy at the end, my apologies. I went back to this chapter to and took out the Japanese... finally. I'll rewrite sometime soon... All these ones at the beginning are so horrible...We'll see what happens, I guess. Also next chapter will have more Legato in it so do not fret. Now that I've finished, I can devote myself to the Ramen sitting on the desk that has long since gone cold, and you can devote yourself to reading and reviewing. Ja. 


	4. Chapter Four

**A/N:** I began writing this on Christmas Eve, and then got thoroughly distracted so I stopped. It wasn't until last night..err..this morning at 1 o'clock did I randomly decide to finish. Then I passed out on my bed. Thought I'd share. Anyway, I finished and it is finally up, so sorry for the delay. After you are done reading please, please review. I need suggestions for future chapters. It is very upsetting when an author does not receive feedback on their work. So....  
  
**Disclaimer**: I don't own Trigun  
  
Read the fic  
  
Review or I kill you  
  
The End  
  
P.S. Happy New Year

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**Silent Scream**

**Chapter Four**

****   
  
Allegro skipped happily beside her brother, who was walking silently beside her. Suddenly, she jumped in front of Legato, and not paying attention, he nearly ran her over. He stumbled briefly before regaining his balance, sending his sister a minor glare that caused her to giggle.  
  
"Legato has to watch where he is going." She commented innocently.  
  
"Allegro has to refrain from running in front of him, unless she wants to be trampled." Legato scolded lightly, receiving another giggle as his sister's reaction.  
  
She continued to skip, darting in front of and around him, much to Legato's irritation. When he was about to voice his annoyance, Allegro stopped in front of him.  
  
"Can Big Brother take Allegro to see Rei again tomorrow?" She asked  
  
Confusion spread across his normally passive face. "Why?"  
  
"Because...Allegro likes Rei. Rei was nice to Allegro and helped her before Legato came."  
  
"Oh yes, about that...what happened?"  
  
Allegro returned to Legato's side, talking as she kept up with his pace.  
  
"Well, after the bell rang, Allegro went outside by the stairs to wait for Legato like he said to, and Allegro took of her back pack while she sat on the stairs. Then the mean boys came and took Allegro's backpack, and tried to keep it away from her. Allegro tried to catch it, but they were throwing it too high. Then Allegro tripped and was going to give up until Rei came and told the boys to go away. She helped Allegro up and talked with her before Legato came. You know, Legato should be more nice to Rei."  
  
Legato said nothing after Allegro had finished her explanation of the prior events. Instead, he immersed himself in thought again, oblivious to the steady rhythm of Allegro's footsteps beside him. Why had some random girl have the incentive to help his sister? No one had ever done so before, so why all of a sudden did some one decide to? What could she possibly gain from doing such a deed? Legato saw no profit for the blonde haired girl, and he continued to ponder the reasoning behind her actions. Who was she anyway?  
  
_'Where have I seen her before...Oh, that's right, she is in a few of my classes. Rei Madison,_' he thought to himself, _'Hmph. What are you trying to accomplish?'  
_  
Legato was hindered from engaging in other thoughts, for he and his sister had reached the small building that they called "home". Allegro had ceased her skipping, and now clung to the safety of her brother. Hoping that their father remained at work, Legato opened the unlocked door and entered the house quietly. He peered around the corner looking to see if he could make out a heap that could possibly be his father on the couch.  
  
Failing to find any vestige of his father's presence, Legato proceeded to the kitchen, where he scoured the cabinets for an edible snack. He soon found a package of chicken flavored Ramen and began to boil some water, pouring the noodles into the frothing liquid. When the noodles had been cooked, he grabbed a bowl from another cabinet, pouring half of the ramen into the bowl and handing it to Allegro, who waited happily at the nearby table. She devoured it swiftly, shamelessly sticking out her bowl for a second helping. Figuring that he had already had lunch and Allegro probably hadn't eaten anything substantial since this morning, Legato gave her his portion without a second thought.  
  
When she had finished the second bowl, Allegro licked her pink lips and smiled up at her brother.  
  
"Thank you, brother!" she chirped happily.  
  
His reply was cut off by the sound of someone plodding up the steps of their house and slowly opening the front door.  
  
"Allegro! Go into your room, hurry, now!" Legato commanded in an urgent whisper.  
  
She immediately complied and scurried down the hall, fleeing into the sanctuary of her room. Legato meanwhile hastily gathered and tried to put away all the cookware he had used, tossing them into the pile of dirty dishes that lay in the sink. He heard the front door shut and the footsteps increased in volume as they slowly trudged toward him. The route to his room was cut off, for in order to reach it, Legato would have to walk out of the kitchen and through the same hallway his father was now using, resulting in his capture as he fled out of the room. Instead, he made a quick dash to the bathroom just outside the kitchen. He closed the door quickly, and hoped vainly that his father would be devoid of any suspicion.  
  
Legato lingered in the bathroom for a minute, and then flushed the toilet to give the impression that he had actually used it. Confident that his father had not suspected any pilferage of the food, he opened the door...only to be smashed in the face by the same bowl Allegro had used and knocked to the ground by a hard fist.  
  
"Did you think you could get away with it boy?" his father bellowed, placing the sole of his boot on Legato's head, the pressure of his weight causing the shattered fragments of the bowl to lacerate Legato's left cheek. "You could at least have tried to cover it up, but you left the stove on, stupid boy!"  
  
When Legato didn't respond, his father put more weight on his head, causing him to wince and moan softly in pain.  
  
"I will feed you when I feel like it brat, when I think you have deserved it, which you haven't," his father continued, "Now apologize, you greedy bastard!"  
  
Deciding it was in his best interest not to put up a fight, Legato complied.  
  
"Sorry-" he was cut off as the pressure increased, further imbedding the porcelain fragments in his flesh.  
  
"Forgive me...Father…" He corrected reluctantly, his voice dripping with pure hatred.  
  
His father removed his foot and took a step back, allowing Legato to recover briefly.  
  
"Now clean up this mess and go," he commanded, indicating the splotches of crimson that mingled among the white shards on the hardwood floor, "Get your worthless ass out of my sight, I don't want to see your pitiful face for the rest of the day!" With that, he gave Legato a last kick in the side, and then turned to leave in the direction of the living room.  
  
When he had regained his breath, Legato slowly picked himself up, removing a bowl fragment that had imbedded itself deep within his pale skin. Blood trickled down his lean face, and he could taste its liquid tin flavor as it graced his lips. He stopped briefly to wipe his cheek with his sleeve, staining it a deep red, and then began to pick up the bowl fragments. Only after he had removed the scattered pieces of the bowl and wiped down the floor did Legato return to the bathroom to inspect his wounds.  
  
He had bled quite heavily, as the blood had made its way form his high cheekbone to his lower jaw, and some had even ventured down his neck. He used a wet cloth to wipe it away, and then applied pressure to the gashes to cease any continual bleeding. When he reduced the blood flow to a minimum, Legato examined the damage done by that accursed bowl. There was one long, deep gash that lay in the middle of his face, and it was surrounded by lesser lacerations. Thankfully, the cuts where on the left side of his face, so he could cover up most of them with his overgrown bangs, and avoid any questioning from teachers at school.  
  
Finished with his examination, Legato exited the bathroom and walked to his room. As he passed Allegro's door, he could sense that she fretted over him, however he did not feel like dealing with her at that moment. Instead, he mentally sent her a warm feeling that rushed over her, lulling her into a peaceful sleep. He entered his own door, and made a b-line to his cot, collapsing on top of it and promptly passing out.

* * *

****

**A/N:** Well, that's it. Just delving a bit into what Legato is forced to deal with basically everyday, and its good for plot and character development. With each chapter, I am beginning to dislike using Japanese words...I don't know.. It works in some cases, i.e., oniisan and otousan/sama, but in others it seems forced. We'll see I suppose. Oh and what do you guys think of a name for Legato's parents, namely his father? I was thinking of making it another musical term, like Staccato, but it seems odd. If you have any other suggestions, please share them. Again, sorry for the delay, but it is difficult to come up with my own ideas without minor assistance from others. Moral: review. Its not that taxing nor require a great deal of effort. And it'll get updates for the story. Anyway, I look forward to your comments and I'll see you soon. Ja.


	5. Chapter Five

**A/N:** Finally I'm back, amidst the death threats…makes sure there are no chainsaws or sharp objects around Touchi. Sorry for not updating, I haven't had the time nor motivation to do so. But then I figured I might as well finish before it got really out of hand and I lost the grasp on my ideas entirely. So here we go. Anyway. Thanks for the reviewers who responded and helped me with my plight. I'm going to listen to Raditz and CaptainMurphysMistress, and name the mother after something musical instead of the father, and you shall find out their names as soon as I shut up, or as soon as you scroll down and read.

Haha… I wrote some of this at work. What does that tell you?

Anyway-

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own Trigun…and whoever thinks I do is sadly mistaken…

**Note:** This chapter will basically be a dream Legato is having about his past memories, and will jump around in times. (Hence why everything will hopefully be in italics if I format it correctly.) For instance, in the first memory he may be six years old and the next be older. - Indicates a new memory. Hope that is not too difficult to understand.

P.S.

Go go Godzilla. (Don't ask….)

Enjoy.

* * *

**Silent Scream**

**Chapter Five**

****

_"Legato, honey! Where are you?" A woman's clear soprano voice rang through the small house. "I made some cookies, don't you want some?"_

_At the sound of her gentle voice, the small six-year-old boy came running. The woman smiled as she saw the blue mop of hair that belonged to her son came flying down the hallway, and latched itself onto her thigh, looking up at her with expectant golden eyes. She held out the tray of still warm chocolate chip cookies to the boy before her. _

_"Would you like one?" She offered. _

_Legato nodded his head and selected a large cookie from the center of the tray, devouring it swiftly._

_"Here, you can have another," she said winking at her son, who was eagerly licking the remnants off of his fingers. _

_Given permission to do so, young Legato wasted no time in choosing another cookie and consuming it. He beamed up at his mother in gratitude, smiling happily until he heard heavy footsteps behind him. He turned, looking up at the intimidating figure that stood before him. The man looked dejectedly at the boy before turning his gaze to his wife._

_"You shouldn't spoil him, Sonata," he said coldly._

_"It's only a cookie, Trent, I'm not spoiling him." She replied, placing a reassuring hand on Legato's back. _

_His father made a grunting noise and walked past them, leaving Legato to watch his retreating form in despair._

_"Why doesn't father like me?" he asked in no more than a whisper._

_His mother, surprised at his current speech, placed the tray on the counter and knelt down beside him, bringing herself to his level._

_"Don't say that, of course he likes you. He just has his own manner of doing so, that's all. Don't worry Legato." She explained, caressing his unnatural blue hair lovingly._

_Legato glanced at a stray stand of hair that fell in front of his face. Its vibrant color was a distinct contrast to the hair colors of both his mother, who possessed light brown coloring, and his father, who sported jet-black hair. Was that it? The other kids he met would make fun of his hair, was that the reason his father didn't like him too? He glared at the strand, wishing it to disappear. Instead, his mother brushed it away from his face._

_He looked up into her warm, honey brown eyes, and realized another difference. His eyes. They were gold. Not golden brown, just gold. "Cat's eyes," someone had once called them. _

_"Is it because I look weird? Because…I'm a freak?" He asked earnestly, quoting what he had heard from others._

_Sonata blinked in confusion, before deciphering what her son had said. She gripped him by the shoulders, staring straight into the golden orbs he possessed. _

_"Don't you ever think that! No one has the right to judge you, just because you look different. You are unique, Legato. Be proud of that."_

_Legato smiled wanly and hugged his mother, who returned the embrace._

_

* * *

_

_His parents were fighting again. It had become a recent occurrence recently, and it was happening right now in the living room. A ten-year-old Legato lingered in the threshold of his doorway, painfully listening to his parents' strife, another one that was centered on him, as it usually was._

_"If you didn't coddle him, perhaps he would be able to defend himself!" His father bellowed, "He's too quiet, it's his own damn fault anyway."_

_"How can you say that? At least I pay attention to him! You don't even give him the time of day! Then, you wonder why he's so sullen and withdrawn. He doesn't have a father that cares enough to acknowledge his existence!" His mother shot back._

_Legato meanwhile had lowered his head, and clenched his eyes shut. Not for the first time, he had gotten into a fight with some of the local kids, after being insulted several times, and both beat up and was beaten up. They had exaggerated, saying that he had tried to kill him, causing his household to receive many calls from outraged parents. This naturally relfected upon on his own parents, questioning how they were raising him, and now they were fighting over it. Why couldn't the children at school just leave him alone? He hadn't done anything to merit their snide remarks and bitter insults. And if they just let him be, then maybe his parents wouldn't have to have these fights all the time. He just didn't understand. Then his father made things painfully clear, as he continued shouting at his mother._

_"Who has a child with such abnormal features? Who has seen a child with unnatural blue hair and yellow eyes? No wonder the other kids are afraid of him, calling him a freak and monster. Even adults will call him a demon-child! That doesn't reflect well upon us, Sonata, we spawned a monster."_

_Sonata stared at her husband in shock, unable to believe what he had just heard uttered from his lips._

_Before she could stammer out a protest, Trent continued, in a gentler voice._

_"Believe me Sona, I love you. My dream was to marry you, buy a beautiful house and raise beautiful children, with your warm-brown eyes, your silky hair, and your smile… Instead, we were fated to have an abomination, one that soils our very name. How can you not see that?"_

_Tears had long since begun to well up in Sonata's eyes, as well as Legato's, who still leaned against his doorframe, listening to every word that transpired between the two. He wondered what would happen next. Would his mother turn on him now as well, the only person that truly cared for him?_

_"Is that what you really think?" she asked tearfully, "And what of Allegro? Is she less than perfect too?"_

_Allegro. His fifteen-month-old sister. The baby that lay sleeping in the other room, oblivious to everything, incapable of hearing this argument, incapable of feeling pain or hurt. Legato envied the sweet bliss of ignorance she lived in everyday. She was perfect. Her almond eyes brought attention to her delicate face, which was framed by beautiful short brown hair. She was the very image of the child his father had just described, with a striking resemblance to his mother. But not him, he was the abomination, the outcast, the very opposite of Allegro. He should hate her, hate for her perfection, but he just couldn't bring himself to do so. Like his mother, she was the only other one that saw him for who he truly was, not for his appearance. However, he would still long to be in her place, and not have to deal with the difficulties of being an insufficient child to his parents._

_His father's voice brought his attention back to the couple down the hall._

_"I love her as well. Allegro is the very image of the child I dreamed about. She's a blessing to this family, ridding it of the plague that has already befallen it. She will grow up to be a beautiful woman, just like her mother. But Legato, he's already aging and nothing has changed. He will be the same for the rest of his life. His very existence brings shame upon this family, upon this house, where honor once resided."_

_His soliloquy continued, but Legato could not stand to hear it any longer. He fled into his room, closing the door behind him, trying to drown out the sound of his father's derogatory voice. _

_

* * *

_

_Sonata strode ahead of him, carrying a 2 year old Allegro in her arms. She looked back to Legato, urging him to walk faster._

_"Come on, I have to make it to the bank before it closes. If you hurry, I'll buy you an ice cream afterwards," she added with a smile._

_Legato looked at the people sending penetrating stares in his direction and then back at his mother. He trotted over to her, walking by her side and contemplating what flavor he would get later. He could really go for a chocolate ice cream cone right now, he decided as they approached the concrete building._

* * *

_Amidst the chaos, the only thing Legato could fix his eyes on was his mother. Her face, contorted in pain and unnaturally pale, looked at his face and stared into his wide eyes. She murmured something before slowly sinking to the floor. He watched in horror as a crimson liquid began to empty from her body…_

* * *

Legato jerked upright in his bed, the sudden motion paining his still injured abdomen. He breathed heavily, and a cold sweat dripped from his brow as he thought of his dream. Regaining some of his sanity, he looked out the window into the blackened night.

Gazing at the twinkling stars, he uttered one single word.

"Mother…."

* * *

**A/N:** Yay, I'm done. Sorry if it seemed a little condensed at the end. I was rushing and just wanted the madness to end. There's your little look into Legato's childhood, which is not really comprehensible right now, but things will fall into place later, don't worry. Also, Rei may come back next chapter, if anyone really missed her presence (doubtful). Or maybe not. Depends what mood I'm in.

Anyway, you know the drill. Review and tell me what you think. Ja


	6. Chapter Six

***I was surprised to actually get comments to have Rei return, so I guess I'll have to oblige. Besides, I need to start building things between her and Legato soon anyway.  So here ya go.  I actually may start making the chapters a mite longer, so it won't end up being 20+ by the time it ends.  Unless you like the short ones.  Either way works for me.

I tried to get this posted sometime last week, but alas, to no avail. I simply could not find the time to do so.  Thus is the complication of extra-curricular activities.  Note to minors: Don't get a job till you're 30.  Oh well.  Here goes.

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own Trigun, if I did I wouldn't be writing fanfiction but rather be creating a new season of Trigun, making my doujinshi part of the manga, and somehow finding a way to make it so Legato wasn't killed in the anime!  (New fanfic idea, heh heh)

Anyway.

Enjoy.

~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~

Silent Scream 

**~~~**

The twin suns slowly began to rise over the horizon, shining light upon the barren desert planet that was Gunsmoke.  They cloaked the once darkened sky with a blood red hue that slowly melted away as the suns ascended, reigning dominance over the last of the five moons that retreated below the western sky.

A warm zephyr blew, ruffling Legato's azure hair.  He was sitting atop the roof of his house watching the sunrise that he never lost interest in, day after day.  Equally as captivating as the sunset, Legato never ceased to watch with fascination as the dark hues of the night slowly transformed into the red-orange of dawn, to the pink of the early morning, and then finally becoming the light blue of day.  It was the one thing that truly put him at ease, the only thing that could make him blissfully unaware of all the remorse, misery, and pain of living.

In a way, Legato envied the suns.  He had read once in an ancient myth that, like the Phoenix, the sun was born every day, and began slowly trekking its way across the sky to meet its death in the west.  Then the next day, its life would start anew, completing the cycle over and over again.  He wished that he could die at the end of the day to be reborn the next morning, starting a new life, ignorant of the troubles prior to his reincarnation.  Even if it was short, he would embrace that brief life, hell, he would embrace ant other life than the one he was currently living.

            Legato often found himself questioning why he kept enduring the life he lived every day.  If he so chose to, he could easily end his meaningless existence; finally free of the things he had to endure throughout his life.  Perhaps he would even see his mother, in the clouds of Heaven.  Even if it were for but a brief moment, Legato would give anything to see her once more.  How he longed to see her vibrant smile, hear her blithe laugh, feel her loving embrace.  The only thing that kept him from executing a method of demise was the vow he had made in her last moments of life.

Don't hate your father…Take care of and protect Allegro…Never forget that I'll always love you…

He closed his eyes in remembrance of the words that found a way into his mind whenever he was troubled, the only thing that kept him reasonably sane.  He had adored his mother too much to break his promise to her, so he would continue to survive, and protect his younger sister.

'_Speaking of Allegro, she should be getting up soon,_' Legato thought, edging to the periphery of the roof.

Gripping the edge firmly, he slowly lowered himself down, swinging gracefully into the open window of his room.  Once he had landed safely on the ground, Legato rubbed his biceps, relieving them of their minor tension.  

Walking out his room, Legato opened his sister's door, gently calling her to arise.  After telling her to start getting dressed and receiving a mumbled 'ok' he continued down the hallway into the bathroom.  Closing the wooden door behind him, he shed his ragged clothing and stepped into the shower, sliding the curtain into place.  

The water trickled down his body in warm torrents, cleansing him of any blood that had remained from the preceding day.  Legato closed his amber eyes, letting the heat of the water subdue the pain of his various cuts, bruises, and other wounds.  After letting the warm liquid stream over his body for a while, Legato proceeded to scrub his lithe body with a bar of soap and wash his sodden hair.

Ten minutes later he exited the steaming shower, a large white towel wrapped about his lean hips, and sauntered towards his room, closing the door behind him.  He treaded over to the wooden bureau, pulling out a pair of socks and undergarments before fully dressing himself.  By the time he was finished, Legato was clad in a pair of gray pants, and a black, long-sleeved shirt with a white over shirt on the outer layer.  (kinda resembles his regular attire, ne?  All he needs now are the torture spikes, the skull, the random fastenings, the random silver band thing around his leg ^_^) Standing in front of the mirror, he ran his fingers through his towel-tousled hair, arranging it in a fashion so that his lengthened bangs covered his cut up check.  

Legato walked over to the door, opening it to find himself face-to-face with his father.  His surprise was quickly overlooked as he was dragged out of the threshold and pressed against the barren wall of the hallway, his fathers rough hands at his throat.

"Alright, boy," he hissed at his son, "I'm going to be working late today, and unlike yesterday, when I come home, I expect the cabinets to be untouched with food still in them.  Understand?"  He bellowed, adding more emphasis.

Legato stared tepidly at the man who still gripped his neck, no trace of emotion is his soulless eyes.

The dead gaze unnerved Trent, who then tightened the grip on the teen's throat, raising him off the ground, as if reminding the defiant boy who was in charge.

Legato's impassive stare steeled itself on his father's raging eyes, not faltering for a second.

_Let go of me, _he silently willed, _Let go of me now._

            Trent snarled and gave his son's neck one last squeeze before letting go, mumbling as he turned and walked away.

            Legato slid down the wall, falling to his knees as he coughed, trying to regain oxygen in his lungs.  He held his throat, massaging the red imprints left by his father's grasp.  Breathing heavily, he watched his father's form retreat down the hallway and out of side around the corner.  Only when he heard the door slam did Legato bring his free hand up, smirking as he discovered that the piece of paper he had managed to extract from his father's pocket was a twenty double dollar bill.  

            _I'll just buy my own food then, bastard, _he thought to himself.

            As he stood up, shoving the wrinkled bill into his own pocket, Allegro peeped her head out of the safety of her room, having not emerged since the previous day.

"Niisan?" She whispered softly. "Is niisan ok?"

"Yes, Allegro, I am fine."  He reassured her, though his voice was slightly raspy.  "Are you ready to go?  If you hurry, we can stop by at the market and pick up something to eat," He continued, changing the topic.

Her brown eyes widened.

"Can Allegro get a doughnut?"

"Whatever you want.  
  


"Yay!" she squealed, scurrying down the hall towards the front door.  "C'mon niisan!"  She yelled from across the house.

            Legato's thin lips cracked a half-smile as he trotted after her.

~~~

            Rei walked through the market looking at all the available food choices.  There was nothing that had appealed to her at home so she had managed to convince her aunt into giving her money to buy breakfast and lunch.

            '_So many choices, _she thought mentally, _though, I could really go for a cream puff right now.  Who needs a healthy breakfast anyway?'_ She smirked and began walking towards the pushcart that sold various pastries.

            Just as she was about to approach the stand, she heard a familiar voice,

"Niisan!  Over here!"

            _'That sounds just like-'_

            Before she could finish her thought, Allegro burst out of the crowd of people and barreled right into Rei's leg.

            The younger girl looked up cheerfully.

"Rei!"  She exclaimed.

"Hiya Allegro," Rei greeted warmly.  "How are you today?"

"Good!  Legato-niisan said he would buy Allegro a doughnut if she hurried to school!"

            Rei looked around, trying to locate where the one with blue hair was.

"Where is your brother anyway?" She asked when she had failed to locate him.

            Allegro wrinkled her petite nose and gazed into the crowd, trying to discern where her brother was.  When she, too, was unable to find him, she frowned and looked up.

"He _was_ right behind Allegro a minute ago…"

"Well, why don't you stay here with me until we find him.  Until then, I'll buy you some doughnuts myself."

"Really?" Allegro beamed, "Thanks!"

            Rei smiled and turned to the pasty vendor.

"Half a dozen fresh doughnuts please.  Oh, and a creampuff." She requested, not forgetting her prior desire.

            _'Wow, what a healthy meal,' _she thought dryly as the vendor handed her a brown paper bag that contained her purchases and she relinquished the ten double dollars she was carrying.

            Rei led Allegro over to a near-by bench, motioning for her to sit down beside her.  Reaching into the bag, she pulled out on of the still warm doughnuts on the top and handed it to Allegro before drawing out her own treat.

            She watched the younger girl devour the doughnut as ravenously as a sandworm.  Before she could sink in two bites of her pastry, Allegro had consumed the entire thing.  Rei delved into the bag once more and handed her another, watching her with intent as she continued eating her own delectable.

"Wow," she mused, "guess you were really hungry."

            Allegro nodded her head vigorously and swallowed what was in her mouth before speaking.

"Allegro only had some Ramen after sc- Oniisan!" she exclaimed before finishing her initial statement.

            Rei looked up, immediately meeting Legato's golden gaze. '_Geez, how does he appear like that?_'  She wondered.

            He regarded her silently before turning his attention on his sister.

"I told you not to run ahead," he told her sternly.  Noticing the half-eaten food in her hand, he arched an azure brow and asked, "What are you eating?"

            Allegro, who had forgotten about the doughnut until this point, looked down at her hands before responding. 

"Doughnuts!  Rei bought them for Allegro while she waited for Legato-niisan to catch up!"  She smiled in the older girl's direction, crumbs lining her toothy smile.

            Legato brought his golden gaze back upon Rei, who took this moment to speak.

"Would you like one?" she offered

            He held back the derogatory response he was going to make when he saw hoe his sister was looking at this female with such adoration.  

"No, if you do not plan on keeping them, continue to allow Allegro's consumption of them," he responded emotionlessly, "I'm…not hungry…" He knew it was a lie, but he was not about to let this girl provide for him.  He was perfectly capable of doing so himself, thank you very much.  

            Legato looked at his sister. "Anyway, it is time we left.  Come, Allegro."

            Allegro hopped off of the bench, waving goodbye to Rei, turning to begin walking away with her brother.

"Wait," Rei interjected, "We're all going to the same place, and so I might as well walk with you."

            Legato gazed at her quizzically from the corner of his eye.  Now she wished to walk with them?  No one had ever done so before, so why now?  

            When he heard Allegro's squeak of joy, he decided to permit it, walking faster to leave the two smiling females behind him.

~~

~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~

Yay, all done.  Sorry if that seemed rushed, but I was really started to get distracted and I want to go watch Fruits Basket, so I kinda just ended it.  Rei will have a bigger role in the next chapter, I promise.  Oh yeah, and I finally decided to nix the Japanese, except for the suffixes; -niisan, -san, -sama, etc.  I just felt like it.  However, if I get complaints, more Japanese may come back, again, it's your choice.  Thanks to those who reviewed and I look forward to more of them.  Ja!


	7. Chapter Seven

*** Sorry about not updating…I've been way too busy.  But I finally got this done so here you go.  Also, I've decided to put acknowledgements to my reviewers at the end of the chapter, so look for your name there.  Thank you to all those who have reviewed and I look forward to what you have to say in the future. 

~*~ Will indicate a time or scene change.

**Disclaimer:  **These are becoming more and more pointless.  No one on this site owns ANYTHING, you hear me? NOTHING! We're all poor writers who have to borrow another's characters and twist them around into our own creations because we have nothing better to do! AHHHHH!

Sorry…

Anyway.

Enjoy***

Silent Scream 

            Legato sighed in irritation at the pair of females behind him.  For the past week, that girl had been following him and his sister around.  Ever since that day in the market, Rei was meeting them on their way to school, walking and talking with Allegro, and making valiant, but vain, efforts in attempting to engage in a conversation with him.  After Allegro would disappear within the school building, the blonde would accompany him to his own class, ignoring all the questioning stares they got from the other students.  

It was really becoming quite annoying.

            Legato let out another agitated sigh as he stopped in front of the building, allowing the duo to catch up with him.  Allegro trotted happily over to him, Rei following in tow.

            "Bye, Legato-niisan!  Allegro will meet you after school by the stairs again, ok?"  She gave her brother's leg a brief hug before turning to Rei.  "You too Rei-neechan!"

            Another thing to add to his list of gripes.  Allegro had begun referring to Rei as her 'older sister'.  He arched his brow slightly, observing as the pair held a quick embrace. He still had yet to comprehend why the girl was being so flamboyantly friendly to him and his sister, even when he tried his best to ignore her presence.   

            Legato watched his sister run up the concrete steps, turn around to give one last wave good-bye, and then disappear into the building.  He didn't linger any longer, walking towards the adjacent building as soon as his sister was out of sight, and away from the blonde that was still gazing after Allegro.  Before he had managed to attain a reasonable distance from the girl, he heard her footsteps trotting up beside him.

            He stopped walking, golden eyes rolling skyward in annoyance as he turned to face her.

"What do you want?" he demanded irritably

"Huh?" Rei asked in unintelligible confusion.  

"You've been following me and my sister around for a week, like a dog.  What is it you want?  I'm sure you have an ulterior motive for pursuing me."

Rei's jaw dropped when she heard her comparison to a dog.  Anger surfacing in her once tranquil blue eyes, she turned on the boy who had the nerve to insult her.

"First off, I am no dog," she stated indignantly, "And secondly, did it ever occur to you that maybe I'm just trying to be nice?  Or maybe, I don't want your company at all, but rather prefer Allegro's.  At least she is kind and considerate, unlike you, who fails to show any form of compassion to any other human being, save for the mild affection you show her."

"If that is the case, who are you to hang around children more than half your age?  What are you, a pedophile?" 

That hit a nerve.  Rei exploded with fury.

"You pompous asshole!  How _dare_ you say that to me?  No wonder no one likes you, you have absolutely no social skills whatsoever!  I try to be friendly and I get shit for it.  Didn't your mother ever teach you to be courteous?"

Legato's smug gaze instantly turned to ice.

"My mother is dead." He responded, staring at her frigidly.

Rei's rage dropped a few notches at his blunt statement, her eyes melting to mild sympathy.  "I'm sorry," she managed dejectedly.  

His golden eyes were still cold when he responded harshly, "And what reason do you have to be?  I don't need your compassion." With that, he turned and began walking away.

Unable to think of a clever retort, Rei just watched him leave.  It was only until he passed the entrance of the building that she called after him.

"The school's that way, idiot!" she yelled pointing in the direction Legato wasn't heading.

"I'm well aware of that, bitch." He returned, not bothering to look back at her.

            Rei grunted in irritation.  If he wanted to skip, that was fine with her.  She didn't think she'd be able to deal with him any longer anyway.  She stormed up the steps of the concrete school building, still fuming over their quarrel. Upon her entrance, Aiden, who was leaning against the adjacent wall with his arms folded and a ridiculous smirk on his handsome face, greeted her.

            "Having a lover's spat are we?" he asked mockingly.

            "Shut up," she growled, continuing her path down the hallway and to her first period class.

~*~

            She sat in her desk, twirling a pen between her nimble fingers, a scowl on her face as she glared at the empty desk a few spaces in front of her, thinking of its usual inhabitant.  He sure had some nerve to insult her like that.  Just because he didn't have a mother didn't mean he could treat everyone, including her, the way he did.  In fact, she had grown up without a prominent mother figure and she could still act civil.

            And Rei was sure he didn't deal with the same problems she had.  

            She grimaced, shutting the invading thoughts out of her mind before the painful memories could fully resurface.  She had gotten past it all, and there was no need to be reminded of it now, just because of some arrogant jerk like Legato Bluesummers.

            Instead, she turned her attention to the ticking clock that lay just above the doorway, watching the second hand click by the little dashes along the clock's circumference.  She furrowed her brow when she realized that she still had a half hour left to endure of Biology class before lunchtime.  Never being much of an optimist, Rei found the last few minutes of class to be particularly grueling. The teacher finally loosing focus and listening to the rest of her classmates erupt in noisy banter was not something she particularly cared for.  She would much rather be involved in some kind of class work until the end of the period; it always seemed to pass the time faster than anything else did.      

Expecting this to happen very soon, Rei was surprised when the teacher began to speak, calling everyone's attention to an important statement.

            "For the next few weeks, you all will be working on a very important project."  As soon, as the word "project" left the haggard woman's mouth, she was met with the grumbling protests of the students.  Ignoring their unvoiced complaints she continued, "For this particular assignment, you will be working in a pair, with a member of the opposite gender."  This comment was met by fewer rebuttals.  The Biology teacher was known for making the oddest pairings.  In one instance, she had commanded that everyone pick a partner with different colored sock.  This presented a problem when she discovered the majority of the class was wearing white socks.  So in comparison, this arrangement looked promising.

Quickly, the woman did a survey of the room, counting how many pairs could be made successfully.  Her gaze stopped at Legato's empty seat.  

            "Hmm," she drawled. "It would appear that Mr. Bluesummers has neglected to attend class today.  Would anyone like to be his partner willingly, or do I have to assign someone?"

            Silence.

            Everyone looked around, seeing if any girl would be brave enough to volunteer.  None raised their hand.

            "Alright then, I shall have to pick for you…" Her hawk-like gaze fell upon Rei, who was contemplating a way to convince Aiden to be her partner.  "What about you, Miss Madison?"

            Upon hearing her name, Rei blinked and brought her attention to the shrewd woman before her.  "What?"

            "Would you like to be Mr. Bluesummers' partner for this assignment?" she repeated patiently.

            Rei stared into the woman's dull jade eyes, contemplating her decision.  When she saw the approving gaze of Aiden out of the corner of her vision, she made up her mind.

            "Okay," She responded.  This would, after all, give her an excuse to spend time with Legato, without being questioned for it.  Plus, she could get back at him from before.  "Yeah, I will, Mrs. Thomas." she added more confidently.

            Mrs. Thomas peered at the girl through her thick, black-rimmed glasses in genuine surprise.  "Well, since that is settled, we can continue the pairings."  She paused in consideration. "Actually, let me explain the project to you, and then we shall determine who's with who.  Since we have recently been studying genetics, I thought I would be fitting if we did a project to determine the different traits a child would possess.  As you know, when two organisms reproduce, their offspring inherit certain genes from their parents.  With your partner, you will determine which traits you each possess and what ones you would pass on to a child-imitation."

            Rei's face fell.  She was going to have a simulated child with Legato?

            Aiden elbowed her, speaking mockingly, "Well, I didn't know you two were getting _that_ intimate." He snickered.

            Those sitting around them that had heard laughed as well.  Rei glared at them to shut up.

            Mrs. Thomas, who had also heard the comment, looked over the class once again.

            "It would appear that we have an extra pair of boys…  Aiden, you will work with Kiro, and one of you will have to assume the role of the female.  I'll leave it for you to decide amongst yourselves who is the lucky lady," she smiled evilly.

            Now it was Rei's along with the rest of the class' turn to laugh.  Aiden's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped.  Reluctantly, he turned his head to the back of the room to look at the punkishly dressed Kiro.  He was met by a harsh gray glare, one that silently told him who was going to be playing the woman in their mock relationship.  Aiden turned around miserably amongst the continued laughter and hung his head in defeat.

            Satisfied that she had put the snobby rich-boy in his place, Mrs. Thomas continued.  "Now, we shall continue with the rest of the pairings so I can finish my explanation before the bell rings."

~*~

            Outside, a gentle wind caressed the dusty plain, stirring up the coarse sand and causing it to shift as the breeze blew.  Above, the first of the twin suns had begun to arc westward signifying noon had already passed.  Both of the bright orbs shone down heavily, enveloping the land with perpetual warmth.  A few, rogue wisps of clouds drifted across the otherwise clear blue sky.  To see actual, puffy clouds was rare, for they usually stood for an upcoming rain, which was very uncommon for the desert planet called Gunsmoke.  

            Legato lay on his back, arms propped behind his head as he watched the sky from the solace of a high plateau overlooking the city.  His golden eyes had dilated to mere slits from staring skyward for so long.  Gazing at the suns, he determined that it was nearing one-thirty, and he should start heading back to town to pick up Allegro.  Thoughts of her brought back memories of how happy she looked when she was with Rei.  He wondered if the obnoxious girl would continue to follow them, even after the words they had exchanged.  Allegro would not be too thrilled if she knew her dear brother had told off her beloved Rei.

            Sighing irritably, Legato sat up, wrapping his arms around his knees.  He just couldn't win.  If the girl stayed, his sister would be happy, however he would be miserable.  If she left like he had implied she should, although he would be exultant, he would have to cope with Allegro's sorrow, and she was the only one that could make him feel truly guilty.  Either way, he would have to endure some form of mental agony.  And it was nearing time to make a decision because he had to go to the school soon. 

            _'Joyous'_, he thought mentally as he stood up, brushing the sand from his clothing.

            He sent an unfocused glare at the town that lay before him.  Once again, he would have to return to the confines of that accursed place, and he had no desire to do so.  The only thing that kept him from disappearing into the sandy frontier was Allegro.  He had contemplated taking her with him, but common sense had reminded him that there was no way two people could survive out there for very long with nothing.  Supporting life without ample supplies would prove to be a difficult task.

            So, each day Legato would return home with his sister, often to endure the drunken rage of his father.  Another thing he did not look forward to, but dealt with anyway.

            Shaking his head, he decided to stoop procrastinating and start the four-mile trek back to town.

~*~

***Whooooo I'm done!  That took a while.  Hope you liked it.  On to reviews!

Tessa Marlene- Thanks for reviewing, and I'm glad you approve of my story.  I've read so many Legato fics as well, I couldn't help attempt to make my own, and it actually worked!  Yeah, I was getting the same vibe from the Japanese when I reread it.  I'm glad I stopped doing it, lol. Anyway, I'll look forward to your comments in the future!

Yutaan- I'm glad this is a new experience for you, and happy you enjoy it.  Sorry, but the Japanese was really bothering me, as well as a lot of other people so I took it out.  There may be a phrase here and there, but the characters won't speak it in sentences.  Thanks for reviewing.

Khaotic Memories- Thanks so much! Your review meant a lot to me.  I'm glad you enjoy this, and sorry for not updating sooner, I've just been so busy!

Touchi-chan- As always, thank you for your avid reviews and suggestions.  It helps.  And I brought back Rei, happy? Lol.

Kinkosami- Looking at everyone's comments, I'm glad I got rid of it, because I may have been flayed alive in the near future…and that wouldn't be too good…  Anyway, thanks for the review and I hope you liked this chapter.

Magnet-rose- Oh yeah, they are going to have a lot more interaction, don't worry, ;-).  Thanks for reviewing and sorry for not updating!

Raditz- Haha, its okay, a reviews a review, regardless of whether its signed or not.  And I'm glad you weren't so lazy as to not comment.  And I updated, so please don't flay me…

CaptainMurphysMistress- Thanks for your avid reviews; although I missed you last chapter! I hope this chapter met with your expectations and added to your enjoyment of the story.

Tauhiryo- Hey, how have you been?  I haven't talked to you in a while; we've both been busy.  I hope you get time to read this and relish me with another one of your reviews.

Those are all the people who reviewed recently, and if you want to see your name up here, then be like these kind people and review!

Until next time ~_^ ***


	8. Chapter Eight

I'm alive! And I updated! Yay! Since it's been a while, I just want to say sorry for the delay, and will now shut up so you can read!

**Note:** Currently, this chapter as a whole is a mite choppy and rushed, so I will go back to it when I have time and re-write/add missing stuff. Oh, and there **_IS_** a reason why Legato doesn't initially fight back, but I'm not telling yet!

**Disclaimer**: Still don't own Trigun

* * *

**Silent Scream **

Allegro burst out of the open door, happily slinging her canvas book bag over one small shoulder. Slumping slightly from its weight, she followed the mass of children down the hall and out of the school building. She blinked several times to get her eyes to adjust to the brightness the twin suns produced. After they took a moment to refocus, her narrow pupils took in a figure with shaggy blue hair leaning up against the building, arms folded across his chest.

Grinning childishly, Allegro bounded down the concrete stairs and rushed over to where her brother was waiting.

'Legato-niisan!" she cried happily, "You're early!"

She watched expectantly as he opened his eyes and brought his gaze down to meet hers, vaguely noting that his eyes were mere slits, giving him a feline appearance.

Legato mumbled an "Mhmm," before pushing himself off the wall to walk past her, signifying their departure.

Allegro glanced between the retreating back of her brother and the crowd of students nearby. Confused, she trotted up next to him.

"What about Rei-neechan? Aren't we gonna wait for her?" She asked.

Legato continued walking. After a brief lapse of silence, he responded with a blunt, "She's not coming today."

Her expression of confusion of confusion grew, her thin eyebrows knotting in a frown.

"Why?" She persisted.

This time, Allegro did not receive a response or any other indication of why the other girl would not be joining them.

She shrugged and continued the moderate pace her brother had set, weaving down the alleyways between buildings, taking the shortcut to their home. She knew not to inquire any further, Legato was not one to go into much detail about anything, nor was he one to be forced into conversation. But this was okay with her, she trusted him to have a valid reason, and was content with his word. So, if he said Rei wouldn't be coming, then Rei wouldn't be coming. No questions asked.

"How was school?" He asked suddenly, dispelling any lingering thoughts Allegro had on the previous subject.

"Good!" She exclaimed happily, "We made finger paintings, Allegro will show you!"

She stopped walking and fumbled with her bag, at first struggling to get it open, and then toiling to locate the her painting amongst the slew of other papers that occupied her bag. During this endeavor, Legato had either failed to notice that his sister was no longer beside him, or detected it and did not stop. Either way, he continued walking and the distance between them increased.

"Aha!" she shouted triumphantly when she found it, pulling the thick paper out proudly. Realizing her brother had not waited for her, she began running to catch up with him- only to trip over a strategically placed foot.

She went sprawling on the dusty ground, the picture flying out of her hand as result of the impact. Propping herself up on one elbow, Allegro reached for the paper that lay just a few inches away from her fingertips.

She became even more discouraged when a brown boot came crashing down upon the once immaculate paper, grinding it into the dirt.

"No," she whined, looking up into the scornful eyes of the boot's owner.

"Well, who do we have here? If it isn't Bluesummers' little sister…." The boy's voice drawled out.

Allegro looked around fearfully as the older boy's lackeys began to emerge from their positions and surround her. She turned her tearful gaze to their ringleader, who had picked up the picture and was now carefully examining it.

"Please…give it back…" she murmured.

Aiden smirked.

"Now why would I want to do that? Maybe I like it. Haven't you heard of sharing? Wait, I have an idea…" He brought his fingers to the top of the page and slowly began ripping it down the middle. "This way, be can both have one."

"No, stop! Please stop!" she cried, watching in horror as her painting was torn in half.

Aiden looked over the two pieces, eying the jagged tear that separated the halves.

"On second thought, it's disgusting. You can keep it," he said, letting the pieces leave his grasp.

Allegro watched as the two strands floated to the ground, landing right in front of her face. She hung her head, letting her tears soak the cracked earth.

Aiden and his group laughed mockingly at the sobbing girl, some even kicking up the dust at her.

They continued their relentless cackle until Aiden stopped abruptly, sensing something cold behind him. He turned around and found himself staring into a pair of fathomless golden eyes.

"What do you think you're doing?" Legato demanded coldly.

Still surprised from the initial shock, Aiden took a few paces backwards, eyes wide as he tried to discern how the blue-haired boy had seemingly appeared out of nowhere and ended up that close to him. He shook off his surprise and curved his lips upward, resulting in a sardonic smirk.

"So you finally decided to show up, eh? About time, I was beginning to think you'd leave your poor sister to fend for herself."

"Leave her alone. If you have a problem, take it up with me. Don't bring her into this. Coward." Legato snarled.

Aiden moved forward and grabbed the collar of his shirt. Tepid golden eyes stared at him blankly as he shouted in Legato's face.

"Shut up! I'm so sick of you!" He made a quick motion with his free hand and all of the other boys moved closer to encircle the blue-haired one. Two of them moved behind him, holding back his arms as Aiden raised his balled fists. "It's time you paid for all that you've done, Demon." He struck Legato repeatedly in the stomach, causing him to cough up blood, spattering the crimson liquid onto the dusty ground.

Allegro looked on in dismay as she watched her big brother get pounded by Aiden and some of the other boys that had decided to join in. She stood up shakily, and rushed over towards Aiden, tugging on his leg.

"Leave Legato-niisan alone!" She demanded, pulling harder on his pant's leg.

Aiden stopped his assault to turn around and scoff at the little girl. "Be quiet, brat!" He dealt her a swift backhand that sent her flying into the side of the nearby building.

Legato raised his gaze just in time to see her hit the wall and slump down it to collapse on the ground. His steely gaze frosted over as he broke out of the other boys' hold, punching them away. Wiping the blood from his mouth, he advanced upon Aiden, who brought his hands up to his face in defense. Legato feigned a kick at his left side, and then struck him soundly in the face. Aiden staggered back a bit before launching an assault of his own, landing few hits as Legato ducked and dodged, nimbly avoiding his attacks. The group of Aiden's follwers had formed a circle and did not hesitate to strike the blue-haired one if he got too close to the outskirts of the circle.

Aiden stepped back, narrowly evading one of Legato's well-aimed punches. He brushed his temple with the back of his hand, smudging the blood that had slowly begun to trickle down his face. Feeling the warmth on his hand, he brought it to eye level, looking it over. Breathing heavily, he glared at his opponent. With a re-newed ferocity, Aiden lept at the other boy, slamming into him with all his body weight.

Legato allowed him few hits, allowing the cocky Aiden to gain a false sense of security. When he left a careless opening, Legato wasted no time in striking him in the stomach, then kicking him just below the knee to make his leg buckle beneath him.

Aiden sunk down to one knee and glared vehemently at the smirking Legato.

"This is far from over, Bluesummers." He snarled. Looking to a section of the circle, he nodded his head to Thom and Ricco, who walked up to Legato's unguarded sides and struck him hard. He fell to his own knees, coughing. A smug grin on his face, Aiden hoisted himself up and began to walk away, limping slightly. The circle dispersed and followed him silently out of the alley.

After they left, Legato stood up, brushing the grit off his clothing. He held his stomach as he launched into another fit of coughing, spewing up some remaining blood. He slowly walked over to Allegro, crouching to examine her. He shook his sister gently, calling her name softly to awaken her.

Allegro opened her honeyed eyes leisurely, blinking as they regained focus. Seeing the battered face of her brother, she woke fully, immediately embracing him.

"Legato-niisan! Allegro is so sorry!" she sobbed into his chest.

He patted her back reassuringly. "It's alright. I'm fine. Come on." He said, picking her up. "Let's go home."

Carrying Allegro in his arms, Legato proceeded down the alleyway, slowly making his way to their house.

* * *

Yay, it's done! Again, sorry for the wait, but as I said before I was busy. Things in this seemed kinda rushed, such as the fight scene/skirmish. That may be due to the fact that it's 11:45 P.M. and my brain is ceasing its function. Hope you're all happy with this chapter, and I'll start working on the next one soon. On to reviews! 

Kinkosami- Yeah, I understand about the Rei being there a little much, but it's necessary for character development. I will try to feature less of her, unless it's her interaction with Legato, which everyone will be seeing more of soon. Thanks for your review, and I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

Raditz- PLEASE don't have me raped by the Hornfreak! I rather be flayed! Sorry for the delay, hope this chapter pleases you enough to let me go this time! Ja matta!

Legata Redwinters- Awesome name. I like. Anyway, thanks for your review, and I'm glad you enjoy SS so much. Hope this chapter is up to par with the others.

Sephiroth1Ripley8- I'm honored that you like this so much to put it in your favorites list. Nothing pleases an author more than to know their work is appreciated. I'm glad I took out the Japanese too. It was distracting, and after watching a certain episode of Trigun, I learned that Vash doesn't even speak it, let alone know how to read it, so that settles the issue. Yeah, I DO need to review my other chapters and fix them, I was never one for grammar. I may rewrite some of them, and fully take the unnecessary Japanese out as well. Also happy that I'm doing a decent job of keeping Legato relatively in character. I was worried that I'd stray from it a bit, but I guess I'm holding my own, for now. Don't worry. My brain is fried too.

Touchi-chan- Yes, unintelligible confusion is right! And percussion is ALWAYS an excuse. Yeah…Biology…shudder

DireSwine- I understand. It was kinda plot-less in the beginning. Glad you realized the point of the story now, and hope you enjoy future installments.

CaptainMurphysMistress- Lol, thanks. Delighted you enjoy it that much. And thank you for understanding. Extra curricular activities take their toll at times. Well, thanks for reviewing, and I hope your able to write your fic!

Neko-chan- Lol, thanks. Yeah, definitely sticking to English. After re-reading I managed to confuse myself. Which is not a good thing. Thanks for your review, and enjoy this chapter!

I'm officially tired, so I'm off to bed for now. Ja ne, minna-san!


	9. Chapter Nine

I can't win. I just can't win. After I posted the last chapter, I decided that I would be a good person and write up the next chapter for quick posting. So, three days later, I had finally finished and was going to type it up that night. Too tired to finish typing and too distracted by the music I had playing on the computer, I decided that I would complete it the next day. In the morning, I come to find out that the music file I had been listening to had given my computer a virus. My dad spent several days trying to fix it, and at one point it seemed okay, but I was still on "computer-probation". Even though it wasn't REALLY my fault, it was still considered my fault and therefore I was prevented from using the computer. And maybe I'm at fault for cancer too. Anyway, the day I could finally use it again, it completely died. Dad had to reboot the whole thing and I lost ALL my files and stuff. Was NOT a happy camper. Well, now it's "fixed" so here I am, ranting to you about my difficulties which I'm surprised you've read this far. Anyway, I got this up as soon as I could, so don't criticize me for being lazy, 'cause this time I actually tried. This ordeal has taught me one thing: The only way to fail is to try, so I think I'll give up on trying. I'm bitter, can't you tell?

Anyhoo, due to FF.net's backup system I was able to recover my SS chapter files, and I even went back and edited Chapter 8's fight scene a bit. It's still not completely up to par, but check it out if you want. Other than that, I'm done blabbing and will get on with my disclaimer.

**I do not own Trigun or its characters, nor could I, or anyone else hope to. Bah.

* * *

**

**Silent Scream**

Legato stood shirtless in front of the bathroom mirror, turning his chin to get a better view at the side of his face. After he had gotten home and placed a sleeping Allegro on her cot, he had decided to assess the damage Aiden and his lackeys had tried to inflict during their minor skirmish. He frowned at the mirror, examining his jaw.

'What was his problem anyway?' He wondered, staring at his reflection blankly and releasing his jaw. 'I haven't done anything specific to him, I treat everyone the same. As humans ought to be treated,' he added, an afterthought. 'The others just joined it, but his grudge was personal…Hmph, oh well, I'm used to being hated. However…if he involves Allegro again…' His gaze intensified, and he found himself glaring at the mirror as if willing it to shatter to a million pieces.

Regaining himself, Legato examined the rest of his body for any other wounds. He prodded a tender spot on his stomach, not reacting to the pain a normal person would have felt as a result of this action. Maybe that's why he didn't initially fight back, he told himself. He was so used to being beat into submission by his father that Aiden's punches had been no more than a minor nuisance to him. After all he had endured, his whole body had become a callous, unfeeling and incapable of the pain Aiden had wished to inflict upon him. It was coming to the point where he could almost withstand his father's beatings, which were infinitely stronger than what the waste of human life known as Aiden tried to dish out.

Finding no pressing injuries, Legato bent over and picked his tattered and dirtied shirt off of the tiled floor, slipping his arms through the narrows sleeves and buttoning up its front about halfway with one swift motion. After he had straightened out his collar and ran a hair through his tousled hair, he stepped out of the bathroom and walked into the kitchen. He looked out the window, straining to see if his father's vehicle was parked in the dusty driveway juxtapose to the house. Noting that his father had not come home yet, Legato walked out of the small kitchen and down the hallway leading to Allegro and his rooms.

He stopped at his sister's door first, cracking it open a bit to see her still lying on her bed where he had left her. He called her name once, very softly, before deciding to leave her undisturbed and let her get some rest.

Slowly shutting the door so as not to create a loud sound, Legato backed away to the door of his own room, shutting it behind him.

* * *

Legato was in the process of completing his twenty-seventh single-handed push-up when the door to his room creaked open, revealing the still sleepy face of Allegro.

"Legato-niisan?" she whispered almost inaudibly, still clinging to the door.

He did another three push-ups to complete his set of thirty before getting up to acknowledge his sister's presence.

"Yes?" he asked, wiping off the minor beads of sweat that marred his brow with the back of his hand.

"Allegro has a little headache…" she answered in a pouty tone, then added, "And she's hungry too."

"Okay, let's see if I can get us some food without getting my head cut off." He responded only half-jokingly as he grabbed his sister's hand and led her down the hall into the kitchen.

Expecting the imminent confrontation, Legato was mildly surprised when he didn't see his father's hulking figure in the kitchen or in the living room. He looked out the window at the driveway, discovering that the car had still not returned. Letting go of Allegro, he moved closer to the window to discern the location of the twin suns. They were both low on the horizon; the last one at an angle that signified it was nearly 6 o'clock. His father should have been home a long time ago…

'Shit…' Legato cursed mentally. If he wasn't home by now, it only meant one thing; he had gone out, most likely to drink, which meant that he was in for some form of pain later on. His father hit him on most days, but it was the nights when he came home in a drunken rage that were particularly awful. It was then that he was dealt a full scale beating and often found it very difficult to move afterwards.

"Just wonderful…" he muttered and turned his attention back to Allegro, who was still standing in the center of the kitchen patiently. He walked over to her, bending his head as she inclined hers so that her warm brown eyes could stare into his cold yellow ones.

"It's late, so I'm just going to make dinner. What do you want?" he asked, his gaze not leaving hers.

Allegro, however, looked down, her childish face contorted in an expression of deep thought. After a moment, her face lit up and she looked into her brother's eyes once more.

"Beef stew!" she suggested happily.

He pondered this option for a few seconds, and then his head faintly in consent.

"Beef stew it is then."

Her grin grew wider and she happily began to dance around the kitchen, before she was interrupted by her brother's vaguely amused speech.

"Stop prancing around and help me peel the potatoes." He commanded gently.

Allegro skipped over to her brother and began helping him prepare for their meal.

* * *

A half hour later found Allegro watching her brother stand over the stove stirring their meal while she rested her chin on the table.

"Legato-niisan?" she asked timidly.

"Mhmm?" he murmured in response, clearly distracted by the pot of bubbling stew before him.

"Allegro is sorry for getting you n trouble all the time…" She slid her head of the table, bowing it in shame... "Allegro doesn't try to…" she added.

"Don't worry. It's not your fault." She felt her chin being lift up and found herself looking into her brother's oddly compassionate face. "Look," he continued, "do I seem hurt? See, I'm perfectly fine. Now," he released her face and resumed an air of authority, "get some spoons. I believe its time to eat."

Allegro, now dispelled of her doubts, gave a curt nod and leapt off the stool, bounding to the drawer that held the utensils.

By the time she had located two over-sized spoons, Legato had poured them each a portion into two porcelain bowls, setting them on the table quickly so as not to burn his hands. He pulled up a stool and sat down, stirring the beef stew lazily with the spoon Allegro had provided. Looking p to warn her of its heat, he caught her just before she was about to shove a large spoonful into her mouth.

"I would strongly advise against doing that." He warned.

Allegro froze, the spoon hanging in front of her gaping mouth and stared at her brother quizzically.

"It's hot." He provided simply.

Closing her mouth, she frowned at the brown substance before placing the spoon back in the bowl.

The corners of Legato's lips twitched in a discrete grin as he watched how his sister still eyed her bowl impatiently.

"Just wait a while. Or take small spoonfuls from the edge until the rest of it cools off."

She broke her gaze from the porcelain bowl to look up at him briefly, deciding to pick the spoon up again. She dipped it in slowly, scooping up a small chunk of potato along with the broth and brought it up to her face. After staring at it warily, Allegro plunged the rounded utensil into her mouth, savoring the taste of his cargo.

"Yum!" She praised before diving in for another spoonful.

Legato's grin arched a little higher and he shook his head in amusement. Remembering he had forgotten to get beverages, he stepped off his stool and stood up, retrieving two classes from the nearby cabinet. He placed the glasses down on the counter and opened the refrigerator door. Peering into it, his eyes feel upon an untouched six-pack. He snarled in disgust as the looked at the hated beverage. Reaching for it with the intent of pouring each can down the sink, Legato changed his mind at the last second, redirecting his hand to the carton of milk on the left side of the refrigerator.

Taking it out, he poured some into each of the glasses, filling it to just below the rim. After replacing the milk in its original spot, and took the glasses and carried them to the table, placing the smaller one in front of Allegro and the other in front of himself. She picked up her glass immediately and greedily swallowed it, then returning to her meal.

He watched her intently while he quietly slurped his own portion. He was inwardly pleased that she had enjoyed his concoction, although regretted that it still wasn't as good as what their mother used to make.

After they had finished, Legato stayed in the kitchen to clean up while Allegro scampered off to her room to play with some of her toys. Upon completely washing and drying the dinnerware that they had used, he draped a cloth over the pot on the stove that still contained some beef stew. He was falsely hoping that his father would come home slightly sober and could use the meal as a peace offering and avoid any injury to is personal being.

He held on to that stretching hope until 9 o'clock had rolled around and his father had still not returned. Realism sunk in, telling him that there was no possible way his father would come home without being utterly smashed.

'Just great,' he thought sarcastically as he disposed of the now cold beef stew.

Presently, he heard the engine of a foreign car pull into their side yard. Hearing multiple voices, he put the pot in the sink and walked over to the window, where he saw his father and two other men exchanging handshakes.

'So he had someone drive him home…dammit! Why can't he be like every other stupid drunk, try to drive himself, get into a car accident and die?!'

But, as he had learned, life never worked in his favor.

He could flee to his room, but the last time that had happened, his father managed to rip the door off of its hinges. Letting out a defeated sigh, Legato put away the remaining dishes, awaiting the inevitable.

Soon enough, he heard the car pull away, the creaky door open and his father's staggering footsteps.

"Legato!" A slightly slurred voice bellowed.

'Here we go…' he thought grimly.

* * *

Y.A.Y.! This chapter was relatively longer, so that's good. Anyway, I have two things I wanted to ask before I got on to my reviews. This was just an idea, and I need feedback. Should I make Legato a heroin addict? It seems to fit with his incapability of feeling pain, but the long-term effects of the drug are a little too severe. I could alter it, but I want to stay in perspective. Let me know what you think in your reviews. I know there was something else I wanted to ask, but its topic eludes me right now…I'm so tired… Well, I guess that means we're on to reviews.

Touchi-chan- Blahhhhhhhhh… I'm still scarred from that dress code presentation today

--. Anyway, glad you like, sorry I never sent you this chapter for proofreading, I just wanted to get it out. Enjoy .

Kinkosami- Hope this chapter sort of vaguely revealed why he didn't fight back. Besides the fact that it didn't hurt, it's also because of Allegro, but I'll delve more into that next chapter. Hope you liked this one.

Sephiroth2021- Wow, really?! I'm so honored! Thanks so much! Well, if you missed it in my author's rant, I mentioned that I re-did the fight scene so that there is a little more action than there was previously. And this chapter also clarified why he didn't initially fight back, so I hope that makes things easier for you. Thanks for your review and enjoy this chapter as well.

CaptainMurphysMistress- Again, I must thank you for your avid reviews. Also mentioned, fight scene was edited, so check back on that if you are so inclined. I'm eventually planning to go back and edit all my chapter, but I'm not up for it now at 11 at night, so they will have to stay short for the time being, lol.

Sephiroth1Ripley8- Lol, yeah he does. And he will get it kicked. Soon. If you hate him, you'll love what I have in store mischievous grin

Raditz- No, I have no desire to meet the Hornfreak. I have no desire to meet ANYONE who calls himself the Hornfreak. Anyway, I'm grateful for your generosity and apologize for not posting sooner, but I actually had a good excuse this time. Err…Monev? Please no! Ha, thanks for reviewing and I hope this was to your satisfaction.

Thank you to all my reviewers and readers who don't leave reviews even though I wish they would. I would continue, but I'm tired. I'm leaving. My pillow is calling me. Oyasumi nasai.


	10. Chapter Ten

A/N: Ooook, for those of you who were _un_fortunate to have read the old version of chapter 10, I extend my profound apologies. Remind me not to do something like that ever again, and if I do, kill me. To make up for that…thing… I called a chapter, I took it down, edited it, and this was the result. Hopefully, it will make up for the previous version. The beginning will be the same, so if you have already read it, you can skip down a ways to the new stuff.

And why wasn't this up sooner? Well, my county/town was subject to an intense thunderstorm, and a stray bolt of lightning decided to hit the building thing of my Internet provider, so my Internet has been down a good while. Curse them and their inability to have fixed it sooner! Bah! Because of this, I was also unable to work on my website, which has increased my aggravation. Though, because of this, my focus was directed to typing this up, so I guess it was a good thing. Anywho. Here's the modified Chapter 10!

Disclaimer: We all know that I don't own it. These things are pointless really…

* * *

**Silent Scream**

**Chapter 10**

****

The twin suns had begun their lackadaisical journey into the sky, dousing the sandy terrain with warm light. The rays made their way through a slightly open window of a darkened room, splashing its inhabitant with radiant streams. A pair of golden eyes squinted in response and fluttered open.

As soon as he woke up, Legato wished that he hadn't, for an immediate onslaught of pain racked his entire bruised and broken body. Looking around, he was able to realize that he had somehow made it back to his room the night before, and was now lying on his bed in an awkward position.

'How _did _I get here?' he wondered, trying to block out the pain in various parts of his body.

He remembered very little of the previous night after being thrown to the tiled floor and having on of the sitting stools snapped against the back of his head. Even before that point he had lost the strength to move, so it remained a mystery as to how he ended up where he was. His astute mind went to work and was soon able to derive a reasonable explanation to his mysterious way of transportation.

After he had fell and passed out on the floor, Legato assumed that his father had taken a few cheap shots on him while he was unconscious and verbally abused him. When he had finished, his father had probably decided that he did not want his son's limp body on the kitchen floor so he was picked him up, brought to his room, and dumped unceremoniously onto his bed, (which would explain his awkward position).

Satisfied with this theory, Legato decided that it would be best to rest in a normal position on _top_ of the pillow. When he tried to hoist himself up however, his left arm buckled beneath him and he fell back onto the seemingly soft bed, causing new waves of uncomfort to ripple through his body. Even the slight impact from falling back on the bed was enough to aggravate his sore back, throbbing head, and aching chest. He took a deep breath of air, only to be overwhelmed by another sharp sensation that came from his ribs. The action caused Legato to let out a jagged cough, causing even more discomfort,

He clenched his eyes and mouth shut, wincing in utter agony. No matter what, he wouldn't cry out. He _refused _to cry out.

Instead, he parted his pale lips slightly, with his jaws still tightly pressed together, and took several short and ragged breaths. Every intake of air felt like daggers were slowly making their way into his chest, but at least the feeling wasn't as bad as the first one he had felt. Instead of worrying about the pain, Legato concentrated on a more pressing matter: getting some much needed oxygen into his lungs.

What he would give to return to the state of blissful unconsciousness.

When his breathing had returned to a normal rate, he slowly opened his eyes and relaxed his jaw. He gazed emptily at the white ceiling. There was no way he'd be getting up anytime soon.

Growling lightly, he decided to take a mental analysis of his current condition. His legs seemed fine, he was able to move them without much difficulty, no serious damage there. His left arm lay limp at his side, and he was unable to move it. Turning his disheveled blue head, he noticed that his left shoulder was unnaturally slumped, giving the impression that it had been dislocated. Okay, not so bad, that could be fixed. Reaching over with his other arm, ignoring the pain in his chest as he did so, Legato gripped his upper left arm firmly; twisting it awkwardly and setting it back into place with a sickening 'pop!'. He sighed deeply, and was painfully reminded of the great extent of discomfort that brought about his chest. He gritted his teeth. He would assess that damage momentarily, as soon as he managed to get into a sitting position, now that he had the function of both arms.

He was able to gently heave himself into a leaning position against the headboard of his bed, earning a minor protest from his left wrist, and noted that it had probably been sprained. His whole left side had not faired well, he noticed as he located two distinct areas of pain on that side of his rib cage. He tenderly prodded his right side, only finding one discrepancy.

Legato let his arms drop to his sides and relaxed against the headboard, as he ran through his list of injuries: a sprained wrist, sore shoulder, at least three bruised, possibly fractured ribs, throbbing spine, and a pounding headache. To his knowledge, his legs were fine, but he could still surprise himself should he ever find the energy to stand soon. He didn't include the cuts and bruises that were bound to be prominent all over his battered body in his list of agony, they were just too numerous.

He winced again as the pain in his skull intensified. Bringing a hand to the back of his head, he ran it through the matted hair, stopping when he felt a strange substance. Dried blood.

'Oh goody…' he thought with bitter sarcasm, 'it would appear I may have suffered a concussion as well…'

Letting himself slump down against the bed, Legato's eyes began to grow heavy as he lost all of his remaining energy. Submitting to the fatigue, he closed them slowly, absently noting the small face that was peering into his bedroom. He didn't care. The darkness was ready to claim him again, and he had no desire to send it away.

---

The school bell rung twice, signifying that class had begun. Groups of rowdy students took their seats as the teacher entered, dispelling any current traces of conversation.

Rei looked around, noticing that the classroom was devoid of two certain individuals- the stoic azure-haired boy and the fiery blonde. She pushed the stray blonde tresses of her own hair out of her face.

"Hmm, maybe they ended up killing each other,' she mused.

As if on cue, Aiden walked into the room hurriedly, his head lowered and gaze fixated on the ground. She caught a brief glance of his face before he sat down in the seat next to her, and couldn't stop herself from laughing.

His left eye was bruised heavily and swollen shut. A gauze bandage covered his left temple, and a bruise marred his cheekbone. Also on the left side of his face was a gash on his inflamed lower lip. Rei had previously noted that he had walked in with a slight limp on his right leg. All in all, he was a sorry sight to behold.

She deemed it necessary to use this opportunity to poke fun at the arrogant rich-boy.

"What's the matter, Aiden? Loose your little cat fight?" She snickered.

He shot her an ineffective glare out of his good eye, causing her, as well as some of the people around them, to burst into laughter again.

"All right, settle down," the instructor commanded. He shot Aidan a suspicious glance through his wire-framed glasses before starting his lecture.

Rei looked at the empty seat in front of her. Legato still had not come in yet. Did he really fare worse than Aiden had, or was he just skipping school again? If it was the former, then he deserved it. No one spoke to her like that and got away with it. That was how Aiden knew where to find the indifferent youth. She had given him the route Legato and his sister usually took home. She felt slightly guilty if he was hurt, but again, he deserved it. Besides, she was just doing her "job".

She placed her elbow on the desk and rested her head on her upturned palm. She still had to discern the reason _why_ Aiden had such a grudge on Legato Bluesummers. He would always speak the name with such vehemence that she knew the hatred ran deeper than simple annoyance and injustice.

Drawing her gaze to the blackboard, Rei let the teacher's drone slip her into further contemplation.

---

When two additional days passed without any sign of Legato, Rei began to worry. Aiden, of course, had used this opportunity to brag about how he had been the undisputed victor of their bout and how he had sent the blue-haired boy home with his tail between his legs. Somehow, she doubted this greatly. Sure, Legato may look lanky, but he didn't seem like one to be as weak as Aiden was making him out to be. Also, she didn't take Legato to be one to be easily intimidated, so she also didn't think his was not coming to school was to just to avoid the arrogant blonde. Plus, Aiden was still recovering from the battle wounds said boy had inflicted upon him, supporting her theory on Legato's strength, and making it another reason to wave off Aiden's boasting as a lie. However, there was still the little fact that he was still absent after three days, so Rei had a strange desire to discover the welfare of Legato Bluesummers.

With this in mind, she had resolved to seek out the elusive boy after school and see how he was faring. Though she was worried, she wouldn't admit this to herself, and instead convinced herself that the sake of their project depended on their contact.

After the school bell rang, Rei sped out the door and down the steps, nearly crashing into someone. When she looked down to apologize to the would-be victim, she found herself staring into the brown eyes of Allegro.

"Rei! Allegro missed you!" The younger girl exclaimed before latching herself onto Rei's leg.

"H-hey, Allegro! I haven't seen you in a while! How are you?" Rei paused, realizing this would make an excellent opportunity to ask of Legato, and added, "And your brother, I haven't seen him either. Is he okay?"

The light in Allegro's eyes seemed to die out at the mention of Legato, turning dull as she looked away and avoided answering.

This piqued Rei's curiosity even more, but she waited patiently for Allegro to respond.

"He's not feeling well…sick…" She explained hesitantly after a moment's pause. She then looked up at the older girl. "Will Rei walk Allegro home? Allegro gets scared when her brother isn't here to walk with her…"

It took one look at the younger girl's pleading eyes before Rei agreed and began to walk with Allegro to her home.

---

_His shoulder was grabbed harshly, his body forced to turn into the brandished knuckles that dug into his cheek. The fist recoiled, and the boy brought a hand to the now stinging side of his face._

_ 'He has good aim for a drunk…' he thought wryly._

_ "I happened to meet up with one of your teachers at the bar," the man before him stated, eerily serene, "He informed me that you had skipped school today, and this wasn't the first time, either." Now the voice grew dark and dangerous. "You have a lot of nerve, brat. I spend good money to send a worthless boy like you to a good school and receive a decent education so you make something of your pathetic life, and this is how you repay me?" This ended in a roar, and a resounding backhand across the boy's other cheek._

_Legato's golden eyes shut briefly at the impact, but he soon reopened them to send a level stare at his father, further enraging him. _

_ "Don't you have anything to say, punk?! Why don't you fight back, you friggin' wimp?" _

_ Legato rolled his head to the side, retaining his indifferent stare. "Because…you're not worth it…" His lips curved into an arrogant smirk at the sight of his father nearly bursting a vein in his forehead. _

_ The smirk soon left his face when he found himself flying across the kitchen and slamming into the counter. His spine had connected with the counter's edge, and he bit back the sound of pain that threatened to emerge from his throat. Instead, he was violently jerked up by his left arm and brought to a standing position. _

_ "Not worth your _time?!_"_ _ His father's alcohol-laced breath bellowed at him. "Let me teach you a thing or two about respect!"_

_ He felt a barrage of angry punches connect with his stomach and other areas of his upper body. Soon, he found himself being acquainted with the floor once again as his head hit it with a crack._

_ That…hurt…_

_ Refusing to stay down and let his father win, Legato pushed himself off the floor and stood up shakily. He met him with another passive gaze, waiting to be thrown to the floor again. _

_Moving to the side, Trent picked up a stool from the table and swung it full force at the younger male._

_Instead of ducking, Legato made an effort to block the oncoming stool, but only managed to snap his wrist back and get his unguarded side hit with the blunt seat of the stool. He fell to the floor once again. _

_Propping himself up on his hands and knees, he made an effort to get up, only to be kicked down again. This time, he stayed on the floor as the swift kicks pushed him up against the side of the counter. He coughed, and the familiar taste of liquid tin graced his tongue. _

_He knew his father was shouting, but he could no longer make out the words. His eyes glazed over, body twitching as every forceful kick connected. Soon, his found his vision swirling, and darkness claimed him._

-

That was two nights ago, and Legato still felt the pain in his chest. Bruised ribs took a while to heal, after all. His bruises and cuts had begun to heal, but they were still visible across his bare chest, as well as old scars from prior battles.

He should really try not to provoke his father all the time, but he just couldn't help it. He was a maverick, and therefore apt to be rebellious. As for fighting back, he still refused to. The last time he had done so, he had almost suffered a loss greater to him than any injury that could be made on his being.

Legato sighed. Allegro would be coming home soon, assuming the idiot Aiden had decided to stalk her again. If there was ever a repeat of that incident, Aiden's head would be ripped from his neck and Legato would mount the boy's skull on his wall.

There was a knock at the door, dispelling his gory fantasies. Allegro was home. He walked over to the door and opened it.

Outside stood his sister, and that damned girl, Rei Madison.

"What the hell are you going here?" he grated out.

* * *

**A/N**: That's my attempt at a cliffhanger-type-thing. I hope this was better than the previous Chapter 10. I'll try and get the next chapter up soon, as compensation for the delay of this one…Note the 'try'. Oh yeah! I decided against making Legato a heroin addict, in this fic at least… Also, I'm going to try to get around to editing previous chapters and removing the Japanese entirely. Gah. Website and Photoshop is taking all my time…Anyway, on to reviews.

**Kumiko Fujiwara**- Actually, I think you did read Chapter 9 already… I have the review for it… Oh well! I'm thankful nonetheless! I'm glad you like this so much; it means I'm actually doing something right! 

**Raditz**- Yes… I think that would be a just punishment should I ever make the mistake of posting something like that again. My immense apologies extend to you and all the others who were subject to such an abomination. Hopefully, this was more apt to please you.

**DaemonAvatar**- Lol, I love you. Yes, Aoshi and Shishio are/were kickass. I think Inuyasha is more repetitive though. And I laughed when I read how they died. I think I'll have to watch it and laugh further. Thanks for the entertainment!

**Sephiroth1Ripley8**- Yeah, that's what originally gave me the idea for the addiction thing, but long term effects don't really bode well for our blue-haired antagonist…so I didn't follow through with that idea. Your idea was plausible though. I'll just make it apparent that he suffered so much through his childhood, that pain just doesn't affect him any more. Hope to see your review of this chapter in my mailbox soon!

**Sorona- **Yay, I'm glad you like it so much! Sorry for the delay, and I hope this chapter was to your fancy.

**MaroonSorrow**- Yeah, I finally got around to reading your fic, very interesting! Wow, that honors me that you hold mine in such high-esteem…thank you! Sure, you can use the idea. Not like I could keep it from you anyway, . Good luck with your fic, and trust you'll continue reading this one!

**Kinkosami- **I know, I know…but sometimes, I can't help but apologize…especially after people are so anxious to read more, and I don't give it to them right away. It probably gets annoying, with all my excuses, huh? Anyway, thanks for understanding!

**Shirahana- **Since you reviewed all the chapters, I can't exactly respond to each one of your reviews, but I'm sure you understand. Ugh, I know…you always harp on me for the short chapters…but I'm trying! They've gotten better…it just takes a while… I'm glad that this fic actually is making like Legato…it was like that with Julie too, mwahahahahaha! And no. There is no shoujo-ness in me, lol; you should know this by now. Actually, the name Aiden just kinda floated into my head…I ended up looking up it's meaning, and learned that it meant 'fiery', which fits his character perfectly. I plan on delving into his persona soon, for his hatred for Legato will be revealed. That's about it! I'll go harass you in the forums now, mwahaha!

**Touchi-chan**- Yes, yes, I know…but, it's better now! At least… I think it is… And the distraction was healthy…maybe…no, not really… Haha cyas.

**Neko Blah Blah**- I'm pleased you like it, and yes, I try to make it semi-realistic. I don't want people reading it and thinking, "Wtf, that would never happen." As for the erratic-ness and rushing parts, it's particularly bad in this chapter, but I'm trying to improve. Thanks for taking the time to review.

And again, to all those who read, but never review, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! Click the button!!!!! You _know_ you want to!

Ahem, until next time!


	11. Chapter Eleven

**A/N:** Bloody hell… I am sooo sorry for the hiatus… but I have my reasons. And it's all due to stress.

My grandmother was admitted to the hospital with a stroke. She's paralyzed on her right side. So, I've been visiting her a lot, and visiting her in the rehab center she's currently located in. She's getting better though, and beginning to resume function on her right side…but she still can't talk that well…

Also, I've been dealing with a lot of domestic issues thanks to my screwed up family. More stress.

Adding to that, I forgot about the weeklong vacation that I was taking, so that killed any earlier attempts at updating sooner.

Anyway…That's about it for my excuses, I'll let you get on to the chapter now.

Disclaimer: Don't own it, stop stalking me!

* * *

**Silent Scream**

**Chapter 11**

****

****

'_So this is their house…_' Rei thought to herself as Allegro led her closer to the small building in front of them.

"We're here!" the younger girl chirped happily, dragging her up the steps of the porch.

Allegro gave three short raps on the door and stood back. Rei found herself staring at the door warily. Her so focused on said piece of wood, she was startled when it suddenly opened to reveal a shirtless Legato standing in the doorway, equally shocked.

"What the _hell _are you doing here?" He demanded, golden eyes ablaze.

Rei could only bring herself to blink stupidly as her eyes subconsciously began to roam his upper body. '_I wonder where all those bruises came from…Aiden? No…'_

"U-uhm…well…" she sputtered.

Allegro, noticing both Rei's discomfort and Legato's irritation, put herself in between the two and looked up at her brother.

"Allegro asked Rei-rei to walk her home. Rei-rei also said she had something to talk to you about school, so Allegro brought her here." She explained.

Rei looked down at the younger girl and mouthed a silent 'thank you' while Legato arched a navy brow.

"Oh?" he asked skeptically, looking to Rei for confirmation.

She brought a hand to the back of her head and scratched it nervously. "Uhm…yeah… We have a project in Biology due in two days, and you're my partner for it. I would have told you sooner…but you haven't been in school for the past three days…"

"Very well," he responded irritably. He looked down at his still bare torso and sighed, mentally smacking himself. "Allow me to change into some suitable attire, then we shall discuss the terms of this assignment. In the meantime," he gestured for her to come inside, "you may wait in the kitchen." He turned around and disappeared down the hall.

Still dazed, Rei let herself be dragged into the small kitchen, once again led by Allegro. Like the rest of the house, the kitchen was simple, nothing too striking or elaborate. In the corner, however, she noticed a broken stool lying upon the small table. The seat was completely removed from the legs, three of which were splintered into broken tips. Her questioning gaze was averted when Allegro skipped over and latched herself onto her leg.

"Thank you for bringing Allegro home!" she cried into her thigh as she gave the older girl an appreciative hug.

Rei smiled and looked down at the girl, patting her lightly on the back. When she looked back up, Legato was standing against the doorframe regarding them silently.

He was now clad in a form-fitting black turtle-neck accompanied by dull gray pants, held in place by a pair of dark brown belts, the excess hanging limply and slightly touching his upper thigh. A pair of brown boots that stopped just above his ankle covered his feet, and of course, he wore the perpetual look of indifference upon his face.

She watched as he glided over to the refrigerator and reached into it, obviously not caring that she was standing right there. Moving to the side, she reacted just in time to catch a cola can that came flying at her. She blinked, watching as Legato withdrew and handed Allegro a small can before opening his own.

"If you don't like it, the only other alternative we have is water." He said nonchalantly, tilting his head back to let the sugar-laced liquid to flow into his mouth.

"O-oh, no, it's fine…" Rei was slightly taken aback by his act of courtesy, opening the can slowly and taking a small sip.

"So, tell me about this assignment." It wasn't an offer, it was a demand.

Rei took a breath and started to tell the blue-haired boy of the project Mrs. Thomas had decided to give them. She carefully watched his face as she went over the whole aspect of 'having a child', but he seemed unfazed. At the end of her explanation, he just nodded and set his now empty can on the counter.

"I believe it would be wiser to go to another location to work on this. My…home… isn't the greatest environment, and Allegro would no doubt interfere." He ignored the scowl that appeared on the younger girl's face and continued. "Plus, I lack my materials as I left them in that accursed building. Do you have any suggestions?"

She wrinkled her brow in thought. "Well, my house is kind of hectic too…but we could leave Allegro there, I have a cousin about her age that she could play with. We could try going to the library, we'd have easier access to other sources and stuff."

Legato was inwardly impressed. That was the most logical thing he had heard come from her mouth, and it lacked the stutter he had almost come to believe was natural.

"Very well, then," he made a motion with his hands to gesture her outside, "after you. Come, Allegro"

Rei smiled wanly and placed the her cola can on the counter, next to where he had put his and walked out of the house, followed by a skipping Allegro and Legato, who strode with his hands casually placed inside his pockets.

She watched him from the corner of her eyes and let her mind wander as they walked in silence.

An hour later found the two sitting opposite each other at a small rectangular table in the library. Rei had initially been wary of leading him to her house and introducing him to her family, but her fears were dispelled once they reached her aunt's home. Legato had been more than cordial and polite, and easily impressed her family. Her aunt was absolutely smitten with him, and they had spent a good ten minutes talking and sampling the various pastries she had made prior to their arrival. Baking was a hobby of hers, and she was delighted to see 'such a well-mannered boy' appreciate her work. Her uncle remained guarded at first, but opened up as Legato exploited the charm Rei never knew he was capable of having, and professed his profound gratitude for their consent to watch over Allegro. While talking with her aunt and uncle, she had even seen him truly smile. It was a sight she had never witnessed, but strangely desired more of. He was truly gorgeous when he smiled.

Allegro had also instantly won over her family with her childish innocence. Her cousin, Shana, had become fast friends with Legato's sister and they had soon disappeared down the hall into Shana's room to play with her various toys. But Rei had expected that. She was still surprised by Legato's reaction to her family, and her family's reaction to him.

'_He really does have two sides to him…_' She thought lazily as she looked over at him. He was currently skimming their Biology book to refresh his memory on what they were trying to do and pick up on things that he had missed during his absence. '_I doubt anyone else has seen both of them… Why is he like that anyway? What can make someone be so cold to everyone around him, but then so kind to a select few? He's truly an enigma…'_

Her thoughts were interrupted when he closed his current book and began to speak.

"I understand the process of determining the various genes, but tell me, what gene has the alleles for my features?"

Rei blinked and looked to his golden eyes and then scanned his cobalt hair.

"Err…well…" She grabbed the paper they were using and brought it towards her, briefly looking it over. "Let's just say you have… black hair…and… brown eyes?" She returned her gaze to him for some sign of approval.

Legato shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "I suppose that works. The amoeba-woman who calls herself a teacher had better accept it."

Rei found herself laughing at the comment, scribbling the new information down on the paper before bringing a hand to her mouth in attempt to stifle the sound.

"What are you laughing at…?" he arched a brow and looked at her strangely, confusion spreading across his normally stoic features.

She paused in her laughter to look at him. So, the ice-prince _was_ capable of more than two emotions… She rather liked this one- it seemed to oddly fit him, and the way his eyes seemed to sparkle made him even more attractive.

Rei mentally slapped herself. '_What am I thinking? It's _Legato…' She continued to gaze at his still perplexed face. '_But still…_'

She swallowed and decided to answer before she began to wage a mental war with herself. "Amoeba-woman?"

A ghost of a grin seemed to form on his thin lips as he shrugged again. "She resembles one, does she not? She oozes around the classroom and engulfs various articles of food."

"But, why amoeba? Why not an overweight sandworm? Though," she let her head rest on her palm and tapped her temple with her index finger, feigning intense thought, "I seem to remember _you_ engulfing my Aunt's pastries, so you could resemble an amoeba too."

Legato leaned in, placing his elbows on the top of the cluttered table and situated his chin on the back of his lithe hand. "For one, I do not move using chubby stubs of flesh that resemble pseudopods." This caused another laugh to emit from the throat of the blonde girl. Grin becoming more apparent, he continued. "Also, I was hungry from missing lunch, and those pastries were quite good. Saying otherwise would be blasphemy. Anyway, the resemblance between her and said microscopic organism are just too great for her to be compared to anything else."

Receiving a glare from the nearby librarian, Rei ceased her laughter, though a smile remained on her face.

"Okay, you got me there. Amoeba it is, then. Well, let's finish this thing so we can hand it into her and be done with it."

* * *

An hour and eighteen minutes later, the first of the twin suns was beginning to make its descent into the horizon. The library itself had gotten quieter, most people leaving for the dinner hour or other obligations. They had managed to finish their project without much difficulty, only brief pauses to consult with the thick Biology book that lay perpetually open on the table. Apparently, if Legato did in fact possess black hair and brown eyes, their supposed daughter would exhibit similar features, and would additionally have Rei's small nose and full lips, to name a few traits.

She sighed and collected her scattered papers and books while Legato handed her the materials on his side of the table, leaning back in his chair and stretching after doing so.

"You know, you're much more tolerable when you aren't flustered or blinking stupidly." He said languidly.

Rei's eyes got wider and she felt a light blush spread across her cheeks. Had he actually given her a form of compliment?

She averted her eyes downward to hide her flush of color and couldn't help but watch as the bottom of his shirt rose to expose a small section of his abdomen as a result of his stretching. It was also nearly impossible to miss the small yellow-purple marking that was located just below the shirt line on his right side.

Rei stopped. She had forgotten it due to her earlier embarrassment after arriving at his house, but she could now recall the various shades of bruising that she had seen in various places all over his torso. It also finally registered with her that throughout the whole afternoon, he had minimized the usage of his left arm, which indicated something was wrong with either the arm itself, or the wrist at its bottom. She darted her gaze upward, just in time to catch him wince briefly before lowering his arms.

"Did…Aiden do that to you…?" She asked slowly.

Minor confusion once again spread across his face. "What?"

She felt intrusive, but she had to know. "Those bruises… are they from Aiden?"

Legato's features frosted over immediately, slightly unnerving her. The disdainful glare had also reappeared in his intense golden eyes, burning into the core of her soul. If there wasn't the chair back to support her, she might have fallen back.

"Ha," he laughed bitterly, "That waste of life couldn't possibly inflict this much damage upon me." He pushed the chair back and stood up. "I fell. Down the stairs." He continued quickly, moving past her and continued walking towards the double doors.

Rei couldn't move until a few seconds after the doors had shut loudly behind him and he was completely gone. _That_ look had scared her. Blinking rapidly, she shoved her Biology book into her canvas bag and stood up, throwing it over her shoulder. Inwardly, she cursed herself for being too nosey and driving him away.

That made sense though. She had fallen down the stairs once or twice and it always left its share of bruises.

She gave the table one last look over to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything and followed Legato's path out the door.

It wasn't until later that she would realize he didn't have a staircase in his one story home.

* * *

**A/N:** Aughhhhhhhhhhhh… It's done… Finally!! Rei's finally starting to fall for him, yay! I think... Now I get to mess everything up, bwahahaha! And what will she do about her possible discovery? I know, but you don't! 

It kinda swaps viewpoints in random places, sorry about that. Guess that's the result of working on it on different days. Hope it satisfies…and once again, I apologize for the delay.

Damn ADD…

Now on to reviews…

**Raditz**- Happy to please you, and I appreciate your mercifulness. Gym socks…eww…

**Touchi-chan**- I'll forgive your laziness, for now. Ha ha. Anyway, sorry I still haven't called you XX… I'll talk to you soon though. Need to ask you something.

**Sorona-** Wow, such praise! Thank you! I'll have to go check out your fic soon! And yeah, I'm trying to put emphasis on his affection for her, because…Well, wouldn't wanna spoil it!

**Sephiroth1Ripley8-** Lol, I did use the old "I fell" excuse. Go me and my lack of originality. I made Rei stupid for not asking about it sooner, but oh well! Thanks for reviewin'!

**Legatosgirl**- That's the thing. We don't _know _Legato's past, so it's up to messed up writers like me to make a twisted one up! Yay! 

**CaptainMurphysMistress- **Thanks, glad you liked! And sure, I'll go check it out after I finish up here!

**Bethany-** It's here, it's here! Sorry for the wait

**sHort pnay cheerleaduh- **Hope that's spelled right… Anyway, I'm happy it had that effect on you! Hope this chapter achieves the same!

**Shirahana**- -throws you in pool and laughs as you flail around- Ahem, anyway, yes, I _do_ have to make them gruesome, and they're only going to get worse, mwa ha ha ha! Besides, I _want_ the audience to sympathize with Legato…not many understand him, and it makes me sad. Lol, anyway, talk to you soon.

**Miki-** Thanks, and sorry for the delay! Hope this chapter makes up for it!

**DaemonAvatar- **Lol, I love you. Yes, Aoshi and Shishio are/were kickass. I think Inuyasha is more repetitive though. And I laughed when I read how they (Kenshin and Kaoru) died. I think I'll have to watch it and laugh further. Thanks for the entertainment!

That's all for now folks! Hope t'see you soon!


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